Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – With signals – indicators – recorders – meters or changeable... – Audible
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-20
2003-11-25
Ganey, Steven J. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
With signals, indicators, recorders, meters or changeable...
Audible
C239S067000, C239S071000, C169S013000, C169S024000, C417S018000, C417S034000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06651900
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fire pump control techniques, and more particularly to a control apparatus for a fire pump. In a fire pump having a fire pomp body and a nozzle connected to the pump body via a delivery horse, such a control apparatus is formed at a side of the nozzle so as to enable the controlling of an operation of a fire pump body and the displaying of the operation condition of the same to be done in real time.
The present invention also relates to an operation display unit for a fire pump, and more particularly to an operation display apparatus for a fire pump which enable not only the controlling of an operation of the fire pump and the displaying of the operation condition of the fire pump.
Further, the present invention relates to a operation mode control apparatus for a fire pump, and more particularly to a operation mode control apparatus for a fire pump having an automatic relay water supply mode in which, when the relay water supply from a water source to plural fire pumps connected in series is carried out, the water supply from a fire pump on a preceding stage is detected to start an operation of a fire pump automatically.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a fire extinguishing activity using a fire pump (which will hereinafter be referred to “pump”), the water is generally supplied from the pump by using a delivery hose connected to a pump body, and forced out from a nozzle fixed to a front end portion of the delivery hose. During this time, a pump operator who carries out an engine starting operation, a throttle regulating operation and valve opening and closing operations and the like is specially stationed on the side of the pump. The fire extinguishing activity is carried out as the pump operator makes contact with a nozzle operator.
Such operators' contact with each other is made by using a flag-signal and the like when the operators are in an area in which they can see each other visually, and by radio communication using a transceiver and the like when a scene of a fire is far away from a pump or when there are obstacles, such as houses, living trees and the like between the scene of a fire and pump. In these cases, a communication worker, who is other than the nozzle operator, is stationed on the side of the nozzle and moves with the nozzle operator. The communication worker is engaged in making contact with a worker on the side of the pump.
When a pump is distant from a scene of a fire, the pump is controlled remotely by radio in some cases from the side of the nozzle as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 8-252339. According to the techniques disclosed in this publication, a communication worker carrying a radio transmitter with him moves with a nozzle operator and controls a vehicle-mounted pump and the like remotely on the side of the nozzle, whereby a fire extinguishing activity is carried out. This serves to attain the relieving a nozzle operator, who moves in a dangerous place, of a work load.
Providing a handy pump operating member in the vicinity of a nozzle and operating a pump remotely from the side of the nozzle as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 5-231172 have also been proposed. In this case, the handy operating member is provided with buttons for carrying out engine starting and stopping operations and an operation for instructing a degree of opening of a throttle. A pump body and the handy operating member are connected together by a lead wire. This enables a nozzle operator to control remotely on the side of the nozzle the starting of the discharging of water and the regulating of a water pressure, whereby an accurate fire extinguishing activity can be carried out even when the communication between the pump operator and nozzle operator is hindered.
A fire pump such as a portable fire pump has heretofore been provided with an operation display unit on which switches, keys and various kinds of meters are arranged for the purpose of controlling an operation of the pump and displaying the condition of the operation thereof. For example, a portable fire pump is provided on its upper surface with a power source ON/OFF switch, an engine throttle operating key, a discharge water pressure gauge, etc. An operator carries out an operation of a throttle as he observes various kinds of meters, and regulates an operation condition of the pump suitably.
When a scene of a fire, such as a forest fire is far away from a water source, the so-called relay water supply in which plural portable fire pumps are connected in series to carry out a long distance water supply operation has heretofore been done. For example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 9-154974 discloses a structure for carrying out a relay water supply operation with fire pumps (which will hereinafter be referred to pumps) connected in plural stages. The pumps on a second stage onward in this structure are started automatically when the water supply from a preceding stage is sensed, whereby the relay water supply is carried out without stationing an operator on each stage.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 10-15105 also discloses a pump adapted to sense the water supply and carry out a relay water supply operation. In this pump, a water pressure and an air pressure are distinguished from each other by a difference between a pressure at an inlet side portion of the pump and a pressure at an outlet side portion thereof in view of a problem of the occurrence of an erroneous actuation of an installed water pressure sensor due to the fluctuation of an air pressure during the relay water supply.
In a pump adapted to carry out such an automatic relay water supply operation, the switching of a regular water discharging operation carried out by a single pump and a relay water supply operation from one to the other is done by an operation of a switch, and such operations of the pump are set by an operator by whom a operation mode is switched suitably on a pump body or by a remote control unit.
However, in the remote control system disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 8-252339, the communication worker is needed in addition to the nozzle operator, and the communication between the communication worker and the nozzle operator in an extremely noisy scene of a fire cannot be made freely in some cases. Therefore, this remote control system has a problem concerning an operation efficiency thereof.
In the remote control system disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 5-231172, the nozzle operator can control the pump by himself but he cannot grasp the operation condition of a pump in real time since there is not a response to the nozzle operator's operation. Namely, the nozzle operator cannot get information on whether the engine has really been stopped or information on whether the regulation of the degree of opening of a throttle (the regulation of a water pressure) has been carried out as intended, until variation of a water discharge rate, etc. has occurred after the execution of the pump operating work. Therefore, this remote control system has a problem concerning the capability of the system of transferring information to the nozzle operator.
In a related art operation display unit, data necessary for the controlling of an engine, such as a revolution frequency of an engine and an engine cooling temperature were not always displayed, and there were many portions of an operation of the fire pump which were judged by an operator's experience on the basis of a sound of an engine and the like. Moreover, the meters provided on a related art operation display unit were analog meters. Therefore, pointers of the meters were not stabilized due to the pulsation of a discharge pressure, etc., and the reading of a value indicated by the pointer was not easily done. Especially, when a controller is provided in a position away from a pump body so that a remote control oper
Fuji Jakogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Ganey Steven J.
Smith , Gambrell & Russell, LLP
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