Patent ID: 7775292

Claim:
A monitor apparatus for use with a suppressant gas type fire suppression system, the fire suppression system having a controller that delivers a discharge signal to discharge suppressant gas from a suppressant gas delivery system into a protected environment in response to a fire signal, the monitor apparatus comprising: a connection for receiving a discharge signal from the fire suppression system during a full-discharge test or actual fire; a suppressant gas concentration sensor communicating with the monitor apparatus independently of the fire suppression system, the suppressant gas concentration sensor located in the protected environment for sensing a concentration of the gas delivered by the fire suppression system into the protected environment during the full-discharge test or actual fire; recording means for recording readings from the gas concentration sensor over a period of time corresponding to a discharge-to-concentration time plus a hold time of the fire suppression system during the full-discharge test or actual fire; discharge prompting means for monitoring the gas concentration sensor independently of the fire suppression system and for generating a continue-discharge signal distinct from the discharge signal of the fire suppression system in response to a low suppressant gas concentration reading by the concentration sensor during the full-discharge test or actual fire, and a connection for delivering the continue-discharge signal to the fire suppression system during the full-discharge test or actual fire.