# US 10,441,833 B2 · Alarm valve station of a fire extinguishing system, in particular a sprinkler or spray water extinguishing system, and fire extinguishing system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,441,833 B2 - Document ID: US10441833B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/537,325 - Filed: 2015-12-18 - Published: 2017-11-16 - Granted: 2019-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-19 - Assignees: Minimax GmbH & Co. KG - Applicants: Minimax GmbH & Co. KG - Inventors: Matthias Pohl; Frank Stachowitz; Peter Kempf; Georg Kunert - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10441833B2 ## CPC - A62C 37/50: Testing or indicating devices for determining the state of readiness of the equipment - A62C 35/60: wet, i.e. containing extinguishing material even when not in use - A62C 35/605: {operating and sounding alarm automatically} - A62C 35/68: Details, e.g. of pipes or valve systems (valves in general F16K) - A62C 37/44: only the sensor being in the danger zone - F16K 1/20: with axis of rotation arranged externally of valve member - F16K 27/0227: {with the valve members swinging around an axis located at the edge of or outside the valve member} - F16K 27/12: Covers for housings - F16K 37/0041: {for measuring valve parameters (F16K37/0033 takes precedence)} - F16K 37/005: {for measuring fluid parameters (F16K37/0033 takes precedence)} - Y10T 137/8326: Fluid pressure responsive indicator, recorder or alarm - A62C: FIRE-FIGHTING (fire-extinguishing compositions, use of chemical substances in extinguishing fires A62D1/00; spraying, applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces in general B05; alarm arrangements G08B, e.g. fire alarms actuated by smoke or gases G08B17/10) - F16K: VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING {(devices for emptying and evacuating the excess liquid in valves or conduits F16L55/07)} - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract An alarm valve station (80) of a fire extinguishing system (100) includes a fire extinguishing system valve (1) having a housing (2, 3) which has a fluid inlet chamber (8), a fluid outlet chamber (9) and a closing body (4a) reciprocable between a blocking state and a release state, wherein the fluid inlet chamber (8) and the fluid outlet chamber (9) are separated from each other in the blocking state and communicate with each other in fluid-conducting relationship in the release state. In particular it is proposed that the evaluation unit is connected in signal-conducting relationship to one or more actuators, and is adapted to control the actuator or actuators by the control commands, wherein the alarm valve station preferably has one or more sensors and the evaluation unit is connected in signal-conducting relationship to the sensor or sensors and is adapted to control the actuator or actuators in dependence on the sensor data present thereat. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An alarm valve station of a fire extinguishing system, comprising: a fire extinguishing system valve that feeds a plurality of sprinkler nozzles, comprising a housing which has a fluid inlet chamber, a fluid outlet chamber and a closing body reciprocable between a blocking state and a release state, wherein the fluid inlet chamber and the fluid outlet chamber are separated from each other in the blocking state and communicate with each other in fluid-conducting relationship in the release state to flow a fire extinguishing fluid from the fluid inlet chamber to the fluid outlet chamber, an alarm passage in fluid communication with at least one of the fluid inlet and fluid outlet of the housing, and an electronic evaluation unit which is integrated in the housing, arranged externally on the housing or arranged in the proximity of the fire extinguishing system valve, wherein the evaluation unit is connected in signal-conducting relationship to one or more actuators associated with at least one of the closing body and the alarm passage, and is adapted to control the actuator or actuators by the control commands, wherein the alarm valve station has one or more sensors that monitor at least one of the fluid inlet chamber, the fluid outlet chamber, the closing body, and the alarm passage, and the evaluation unit is connected in signal-conducting relationship to the sensor or sensors and is adapted to control the actuator or actuators in dependence on the sensor data present thereat. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An alarm valve station according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit has a data interface for receiving control commands of the data interface and is adapted to control the actuator or actuators by the control commands which are received and subjected to further processing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An alarm valve station according to claim 1, wherein the one or more actuators comprise an actuator of the closing body that is a control drive of the closing body and the electronic evaluation unit is adapted to move the closing body selectively into the release or into the blocking position by means of the control drive. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An alarm valve station according to claim 1, wherein the one or more actuators comprise an actuator of the closing body in the form of a pilot control drive and the electronic evaluation unit is adapted to either lock or unlock the closing body by the pilot control drive. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) An alarm valve station according to claim 1, wherein the alarm valve station has a testing valve for flooding the alarm passage, wherein the one or more actuators comprise an actuator of the testing valve that is a control drive of the testing valve and the electronic evaluation unit is adapted to move the testing valve selectively into the release or into the blocking position by the control drive. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An alarm valve station according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit is connected in signal-conducting relationship to the one or more sensors for receiving data for data processing into at least one of: state information, or operating instructions and is adapted to transmit the state information and/or operating instructions to a display unit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) An alarm valve station according to claim 1, comprising a display unit adapted to receive the state information and/or operating instructions from the evaluation unit and to display same. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) An alarm valve station according to claim 7, wherein the display unit is integrated in the housing. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) An alarm valve station according to claim 7, wherein the display unit is arranged externally on the housing or in the proximity of the alarm valve station. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) An alarm valve station according to claim 7, wherein the display unit is adapted to reproduce numerical values and/or text characters, wherein the display unit includes an LCD or LED display. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) An alarm valve station according to claim 7, wherein the display unit is in the form of a portable communication device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) An alarm valve station according to claim 7, wherein the evaluation unit and/or display unit includes an input device for the input of control commands. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) An alarm valve station according to claim 12, wherein the input device has pressure-sensitive input elements. ### Claim 14 (depends on 7) An alarm valve station according to claim 7, wherein arranged on the housing of the fire extinguishing system valve is a fixing device for reversibly releasably fixing the display unit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 2) An alarm valve station according claim 2, wherein the data interface is adapted for unidirectional or bidirectional, wireless data exchange with a remotely spaced data processing unit. ### Claim 16 (depends on 7) An alarm valve station according to claim 7, wherein the display unit and the evaluation unit are connected in signal-conducting relationship by a data interface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 7) An alarm valve station according to claim 7, wherein the display unit and the evaluation unit are connected in signal-conducting relationship by means of a second dedicated data interface which is in the form of: USB interface, PCI interface, PCI express interface, Thunderbolt interface, or WPAN interface including VFIR-lrDA, IFIR-lrDA, Bluetooth or NFC. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) An alarm valve station according to claim 17, wherein the display unit and the evaluation unit are adapted to mutually identify each other by the dedicated interface and to automatically form the signal-conducting connection. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) An alarm valve station according to claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include one or more pressure sensors integrated in the housing. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) An alarm valve station according to claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include one or more temperature sensors adapted to detect the fluid temperature within the fire extinguishing system valve and/or the temperature in one or more further components of the alarm valve station and/or the ambient temperature of the alarm valve station. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) An alarm valve station according to claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include one or more internal measuring devices for detecting the water hardness and/or for detecting a flow speed. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) A fire extinguishing system, comprising: at least one fluid line, and an alarm valve station to which one or more fluid lines are connected, wherein the alarm valve station is designed according to claim 1.