FR3018939A1 - UNDERGROUND CONSTRUCTION ALERT DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an underground construction warning device comprising a series of warning modules (1, 2, 3, ... 9) configured to communicate with each other by wireless communication, each alert module (1, 2, 3, ... 9) being configured to receive by said wireless communication an alert of a first neighboring alert module (1, 2, 3, ... 9) and transmit the alert by said communication without wire to another neighbor alert module (1, 2, 3, ... 9).

Description

The invention relates to the safety of people on underground sites such as tunnel sites, car parks, mines. Such sites may be subject to particularly serious disasters due in part to their confined nature and the difficulty of evacuating people quickly. An effective and reliable warning device is therefore particularly desirable. One solution is to install on the underground site a network of smoke detectors, vibration, or a network of warning horns manually operated. However, this type of network is difficult to install in underground spaces and is difficult to reliably connect to a warning system, typically installed on the surface. The object of the invention is to provide an alert device which, while being effective to alert people, is also reliable to ensure the transmission of the alert. This object is achieved according to the invention by means of an underground construction warning device comprising a series of warning modules, characterized in that the warning modules are configured to communicate with each other by wireless communication, each module the alert being configured to receive, by said wireless communication, an alert of a first neighboring alert module and transmit the alert by said wireless communication to another neighboring alert module.

Advantageously, said other neighbor warning module is a module immediately adjacent to said module transmitting the alert and said module transmitting the alert is configured to also transmit the alert by the wireless communication directly to an alert module which is immediately neighbor of said other neighbor alert module. Advantageously, the alert is a danger alert, for example fire alarm or shooting or presence of gas ...

Advantageously, each alert module is equipped with a manual alert trigger. Advantageously, each alert module is equipped with a self-diagnostic system of the functions of the module. Advantageously, the device comprises a collector module which is configured to periodically send a functioning test signal to the alert modules. Advantageously, each alert module considered is configured to receive the operating test signal from at least one alert module adjacent to the alert module considered and transmit the operating test signal to another alert module near the alert module considered. Advantageously, each alert module considered is configured to receive the operating test signal from an alert module immediately adjacent to the alert module in question as well as from an alert module located beyond said alert module. immediately adjacent to the alert module under consideration and each alert module considered is configured to transmit the operating test signal to another alert module immediately adjacent to the alert module in question and to another module d an alert located beyond said other immediately adjacent alert module with respect to said alert module.

Advantageously, each alert module is configured to detect non-reception of a test signal from one or the other of said immediately adjacent warning module and of said warning module located beyond the module of immediately alert neighbor.

Advantageously, each alert module is configured, in the event of detection of non-reception of the operating test signal from one or the other of said immediately adjacent warning module and of said alert module located beyond the an immediately adjacent warning module, for transmitting to a neighboring warning module a module failure signal. Advantageously, each alert module is configured to store data identifying a location where the alert module is placed and each alert module is configured to transmit this data. Advantageously, at least one alert module includes a presence detection arrangement near the alert module and said at least one alert module is configured to send a signal indicating the presence of people in the vicinity of the module. 'alert. Advantageously, the arrangement for detecting the presence of people near the warning module is an arrangement for reading wireless electronic tags worn by the persons.

Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows, with reference to the appended figures: FIG. 1 represents an alert device according to one embodiment of the invention - Figure 2 is a possible tree according to the invention. In FIG. 1, the exposed device comprises a series of warning modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 9 and a collection module 10 whose role is to collect an alert sent from one of the alert modules. In FIG. 2, the device also comprises a series of warning modules 1 ', 1 ", 2', 2", 3 ', 3 ", 4', 15 '9' and a collection module 10 ', but the modules The two modules 3 'and 3 "are connected to the module 4', the module 2 'is connected to two modules 1' and 1", and so on. Having more than two modules connected to the preceding module 20. The operating mode of these modules 1 ', 1 ", 2', 2", 3 ', 3 ", 4', 9 'and the collector module 10' is similar. to that of Figure1. The warning modules 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, or 1 ', 1 ", 2', 2", 3 ', 3 ", 4', 5 ', 9' are here divided into 25 the structure, for example a tunnel or underground gallery, which may be under construction or in service, not shown as such, and arranged in a preferentially constant spacing between the modules, here about 200 meters. is here provided with a push button for triggering an alert in the event of impending disaster or to prevent a construction site event such as a blast.Alternatively, each of the alert modules is provided with a detector, such as a smoke detector, a gas detector, a thermometer or an abnormal vibration detector, the warning modules 1, 2, 3, 4_, 9 or 1 ', 1 ", 2 ', 2 ", 3', 3", 4 ', 5' ..., 9 'are here in communication with the collector module 10 or 10' by a non-wire link and according to a communication step by step. Thus, when an alert module 1, 2, 3, 4, ..., 9 triggers the alert, for example module 2, it transmits a wireless alert signal to its two immediate neighbors, here the modules 1 and 3. Each of these neighboring modules then receives the alert signal, recognizes the presence of it, and then retransmits it in turn to its immediate neighbors. According to an advantageous arrangement, the module 2 also sends the alert to its neighbor located directly beyond its immediate neighbors, that is to say here the module 4. The module 4 then transmits the alert to its immediate neighbors as well as modules located directly beyond these immediate neighbors. By repeating such successive receptions and retransmissions, the warning signal reaches the collector module 10 and the alert is then taken into account centrally.

Since the transmission is carried out here in a non-wired manner, here for example by a communication according to the Wifi protocol, but also alternatively according to the Wimax protocol or according to a radio communication, the alert modules 1, 2, 3, ..., 9 are connected to the collector module 10 without risk of accidental breakage of the connection by damaging a wire. In addition, the link being made by a communication step by step, each module constitutes a relay that redirects and amplifies the alert signal to the final destination of the collector module 10. This reduces a risk of communication failure due to the presence an obstacle on the site or even because of a curved shape of the underground structure. The fact of retransmitting the warning signal not only to its direct neighbor but also to the next neighbor makes it possible, in case of non-operation of an alert module in the communication chain step by step, to ensure that the communication is not broken and goes beyond this faulty module. This arrangement is particularly advantageous in the case of fire detection where warning modules are likely to be destroyed by fire.

The warning modules are here boxes set in a way that is strong enough to prevent unauthorized movement. The number of boxes changes according to the progress of the work. Once the work is completed, these cabinets, which are removable, can be reused on another underground construction site in another configuration. According to an advantageous arrangement, the device is provided to perform a self-diagnosis of proper operation. Thus the collector module 10 emits, at each interval of one second, a test signal to the alert module which is closest to it, here the module 9. The alert module 9 recognizes this test message and transmits it in turn to its immediate neighbor, here the module 8, and the module located directly beyond, here the module 7. Each of the modules 7 and 8 in turn sends the test message to its two successive modules away of the collector module 10. When the test message reaches the last alert module, here the module 1, then the test message is retransmitted again to the collector module 10 according to the same process. During this self-diagnosis, each alert module waits for the test message from its immediate neighbor and the module directly beyond its immediate neighbor. For example, module 2 waits for the test message from module 3 and module 4. When a module receives only one of the two expected messages, it then detects a failure on the part of module n '. having not issued the test message. For example, if the module 2 receives the test message from the module 3, it deduces a module 4 failure. The module 2 then adds to the test message that it retransmits an indication that the module 4 is defective. When the test message reaches the collector module 10, then the collector module 10 becomes aware of the failure of the alert module 4 and then initiates a procedure for troubleshooting the module 4. According to an advantageous arrangement, each module implements a delay before concluding that a neighboring module has failed. Thus in the present case, a module triggers a countdown from the reception of the first test message. If it has not received the second test message after the said delay (for example two seconds of waiting), then it concludes the failure of the alert module that should have issued this test message. By implementing such a delay, a transmission delay due for example to an unusual path of the waves is not interpreted as a failure. In the example of Figure 1, the alert modules 1, ..., 9 are arranged in line as is the case for a tunnel consisting of a single gallery. Alternatively as in Figure 2, especially in the case of a multi-gallery structure, the warning modules 1 ', 1 ", 2', 2", 3 ', 3 ", 4', 5 '.. 9 'are arranged in a multi-branched tree, in which case a delay is advantageously used pending the test messages, particularly at the level of the modules arranged at the junction of several galleries, which modules receive the test signals from the first warning modules of each gallery.The duration of such a delay is chosen to accept a delay due to the difference in the lengths of the galleries and therefore to the difference in the time required for the signal to browse each gallery.

The modules advantageously have a writable memory provided for storing therein an indication of the physical location at which the module is positioned. Thus, when a module emits an alert signal, it advantageously includes in this alert signal the indication of the location where this alert module is located. Therefore, the collector module 10 becomes aware upon receipt of the alert signal of the location where the disaster or more generally the triggering event of the alert. According to one embodiment, each alert module 25 is provided with a means for counting the number of people in the vicinity of the alert module. Such counting is for example implemented by equipping each person on the site of an active or passive transponder-type wireless reading electronic tag, which is detected by an antenna disposed on the alert module. Such an alternative electronic tag wireless reading allows, in addition to counting the number of people present near each module, also know the identity of these people. This makes it possible to differentiate the people to be rescued and the rescuers in the organization of the relief. According to one variant, certain warning modules are equipped with an intercom and / or a camera to enable dialogue and visualization of the environment of the alert module from a command post in order to detect the presence of persons. and count people. In these different variants, the alert module sends to the collector module 10 the number of people in the vicinity and possibly the identity of the people. This information can then be communicated to the rescue teams and thus enables the relief efforts to be deployed in a targeted manner. Advantageously, the warning modules are provided with danger signaling means, such as beacons or sound transmitters with preprogrammed messages. Such signaling means are advantageously triggered by a signal transmitted by the collector module and transmitted to the destination modules by a communication step by step as described above.

Claims (13)

REVENDICATIONS1. Underground warning device comprising a series of warning modules (1,2,3, ... 9), characterized in that the warning modules (1,2,3, ... 9) are configured to communicate with each other by wireless communication, each alert module (1,2,3, ... 9) being configured to receive by said wireless communication an alert of a first neighbor alert module (1, 2.3, ... 9) and transmit the alert by said wireless communication to another neighboring warning module (1,2,3, ... 9). 2. Warning device according to claim 1, characterized in that said other neighboring warning module (1,2,3, ... 9) is a module immediately adjacent said module 15 transmitting the alert (1,2 , 3, ... 9) and said module transmitting the alert (1,2,3, ... 9) is configured to also transmit the alert by the wireless communication directly to an alert module (1, 2,3, ... 9) which is immediately adjacent to said other neighboring warning module 20 (1,2,3, ... 9). 3. Device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the alert is a danger alert. 4. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each alert module (1,2,3, ... 9) is equipped with a manual alert trigger. 5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each warning module (1,2,3, ... 9) is equipped with a self-diagnostic system of the module functions. 6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a collector module (10) which is configured to send an operating test signal to the alert modules (1,2,3, .. .9). 7. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that each alert module considered (1,2,3, ... 9) is configured to receive the operating test signal from at least one alert module (1). , 2.3, ... 9) adjacent to the alert module considered (1,2,3, ... 9) and transmit the operating test signal to another alert module (1,2,3 , ... 9) next to the alert module considered. 8. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that each alert module considered (1,2,3, ... 9) is configured to receive the operating test signal from an alert module (1,2 , 3, ... 9) immediately adjacent to the warning module (1,2,3, ... 9) considered as well as an alert module (1,2,3, ... 9) located beyond said alert module (1,2,3, ... 9) immediately adjacent to the alert module in question (1,2,3, ... 9) and each alert module considered ( 1,2,3, ... 9) is configured to transmit the operation test signal to another alert module (1,2,3, ... 9) immediately adjacent to the alert module considered (1 , 2,3, ... 9) as well as another warning module (1,2,3, ... 9) located beyond said other warning module (1,2,3,. ..9) immediately next to said alert module considered (1,2,3, ... 9). 9. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that each alert module (1,2,3, ... 9) is configured to detect a non-receipt of operating test signal from one or the other immediately adjacent alarm module (1,2,3, ... 9) and said warning module (1,2,3, ... 9) located beyond the immediately adjacent warning module. 10. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that each alert module (1,2,3, ... 9) is configured, in case of detection of non-reception of the operating test signal from one either of said immediately adjacent warning module (1,2,3, ... 9) and said alert module located beyond the immediately adjacent warning module (1,2,3, ... 9); 9), for transmitting to a neighboring warning module (1,2,3, ... 9) a module failure signal. 11. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each alert module (1,2,3, ... 9) is configured to store data identifying a location where the alert module (1 , 2,3, ... 9) is placed and each warning module (1,2,3, ... 9) is configured to transmit these data in the event of an alert signal being emitted by said module. alert (1,2,3, ... 9). 12. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one alert module (1,2,3, ... 9) comprises a detection arrangement for the presence of people near the module d (1,2,3, ... 9) and said at least one alert module (1,2,3, ... 9) is configured to send a signal indicating the presence of people near the module alert (1,2,3, ... 9). 13. Device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the presence detection arrangement of people near the alert module (1,2,3, ... 9) is an arrangement for reading electronic tags to wireless reading worn by people.