A new energy vehicle fire extinguishing robot for highway tunnel and a control method thereof

Abstract

The application provides a new energy automobile fire extinguishing robot for a highway tunnel and a control method thereof, and relates to the technical fields of fire-fighting equipment and autonomous robots. In the prior art, when a new energy automobile has an accident in a tunnel, a fire is caused, and the fire cannot be quickly handled, the fire is not easy to be found, the fire is not easy to be controlled after being found, harmful gas volatilizes fast, and secondary accidents are easy to occur. The fire extinguishing robot can autonomously enter a dangerous area of an accident, accurately find a fire source, deeply link with an existing safety management system of a tunnel, form a closed loop of emergency handling operations, and improve fire extinguishing operation efficiency. The fire extinguishing robot can still work stably in a harsh environment, and can enable external personnel to timely know about a fire condition inside the tunnel. The fire extinguishing robot can accurately position an accident automobile and accurately perform a fire extinguishing operation in multiple aspects. The fire extinguishing robot has high fire extinguishing efficiency, can quickly inhibit harmful gas, and protects personal and property safety in the tunnel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fire-fighting equipment and autonomous robot technology, and in particular to a new energy vehicle fire-fighting robot for highway tunnels and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] With the surge in the number of new energy vehicles, fires caused by collisions and short circuits in highway tunnels are on the rise. Furthermore, the enclosed space, limited ventilation, and single escape route in tunnels make these fires extremely dangerous. For example, the thermal runaway of new energy vehicles develops rapidly; it only takes tens of seconds from the first smoke to full-blown combustion, resulting in a very short escape window. The thermal decomposition of the batteries in new energy vehicles produces large amounts of highly toxic flammable gases such as hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen cyanide. These gases accumulate rapidly in tunnels, posing a significant risk of poisoning and secondary explosions, making it difficult for firefighters to approach and conduct firefighting operations. Moreover, smoke in tunnels does not disperse easily, visibility is low, and traditional firefighting equipment struggles to accurately locate the fire source, especially the battery pack hidden under the vehicle.

[0003] Currently, tunnel fire protection systems mainly rely on fire hydrants and fire extinguishers; however, these systems have significant shortcomings. They cannot directly target battery packs under the hood, and electrolyte diffusion poses a greater safety risk. The narrow tunnel space, frequent traffic congestion, and rapid accumulation of high temperatures, dense smoke, and toxic gases further complicate firefighting and rescue operations. For example, the confined tunnel space limits the operational area, and a fire can cause blockages, preventing large firefighting equipment from entering; the complex tunnel environment significantly interferes with various sensors, easily leading to misjudgments of the actual fire situation; vehicle deformation after an accident can cause battery pack displacement, resulting in the failure of firefighting equipment positioning; and coordination with existing fire protection facilities within the tunnel after an accident is difficult.

[0004] Therefore, this application proposes a new energy vehicle fire-fighting robot for highway tunnels and its control method. The fire-fighting robot can autonomously enter dangerous accident areas, work stably in harsh environments, accurately execute fire-fighting tasks, and seamlessly integrate with the overall tunnel safety system. Unaffected by the environment, it can accurately locate the accident vehicle and perform multi-faceted integrated fire-fighting, resulting in efficient and rapid fire suppression. It can quickly suppress harmful gases and greatly protect the safety of people and property inside the tunnel. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of existing technologies in dealing with fires caused by accidents involving new energy vehicles in tunnels, such as the inability to quickly and effectively handle such fires, the difficulty in detecting the fire, the rapid volatilization of harmful gases posing a health hazard, and the potential for secondary accidents, this invention first proposes a fire-fighting robot for new energy vehicles in highway tunnels, specifically including the following: Autonomous mobile platform, which integrates a quick interface for tunnel fire hydrants; The detection and positioning assembly is located at the front end of the autonomous mobile platform. The detection and positioning assembly includes at least an infrared thermal imager and a lidar, which are used to dynamically scan and locate the battery heat source of the new energy vehicle during the movement of the fire-fighting robot. The fire extinguishing assembly is mounted on an autonomous mobile platform. The fire extinguishing assembly includes at least one deployable puncture robotic arm, one deployable switch robotic arm, one perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing device, and one rotatable fire hose device, which are used for localized and precise fire extinguishing of the heat source of the fire vehicle battery and all-round prevention of reignition and cooling. The central control and communication system connects the detection and positioning assembly, the fire extinguishing execution assembly, and the autonomous mobile platform. It is used to process data from the detection and positioning assembly, plan routes, control the operation of the fire extinguishing execution assembly, and communicate and coordinate with the tunnel control center.

[0006] Furthermore, the detection and positioning assembly also includes a visible light camera and a local environment sensor, which are mounted on a gimbal that can be tilted and swung horizontally. The gimbal is installed at a height that allows the central line of sight of the infrared thermal imager to cover the area from the ground nearby to the top of the vehicle in the distance.

[0007] Furthermore, the central control and communication system runs a positioning algorithm. The positioning algorithm matches and fuses the real-time thermal imaging data and lidar point cloud data collected by the detection and positioning assembly with the pre-stored high-precision tunnel map and common vehicle model 3D models to calculate the precise 3D coordinates of the battery pack in the tunnel's global coordinate system and to compensate for the displacement of the battery pack caused by vehicle collision deformation.

[0008] Furthermore, the puncture robotic arm is separated from the detection and positioning assembly, and the puncture robotic arm deploys from the side or rear of the fire extinguishing robot during operation; The end effector of the puncture robotic arm is a puncture needle, and it also integrates force and depth sensing feedback units.

[0009] Furthermore, the perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing device includes a perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing agent storage unit and connecting pipelines; the perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing agent storage unit is connected to the puncture needle of the puncture robotic arm through the connecting pipelines; it also includes a tunnel fire hydrant quick-match interface integrated with the autonomous mobile platform; The rotatable fire hose device includes a rotating fire hose and is connected to a fire hydrant for continuous cooling of the puncture operation area.

[0010] Furthermore, during firefighting operations, the central control and communication system switches the robotic arm to open the fire hydrant and rotate the fire hose. First, it sprays fine water mist to suppress smoke and gas, then controls the puncture robotic arm to perform the puncture operation and inject perfluorohexanone extinguishing agent. At the same time, it controls the rotating fire hose to perform a coordinated cooling operation.

[0011] Furthermore, during the fire response process, the central control and communication system sends the robot's location, fire source coordinates, on-site images, and environmental data to the tunnel control center in real time, and receives traffic control instructions and smoke extraction control instructions from the tunnel control center to achieve coordinated response.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present invention, a control method for a new energy vehicle fire extinguishing robot in a highway tunnel is also proposed, applicable to the aforementioned new energy vehicle thermal imaging positioning fire extinguishing robot in a highway tunnel, comprising the following steps: Step S1. Mobile scanning and detection: As the fire-fighting robot moves toward the fire area, it uses its front-end detection and positioning assembly to perform dynamic thermal imaging and lidar scanning of the lane to initially identify and lock onto high-temperature target vehicles. Step S2. Precisely locate and approach the target vehicle. After the fire-fighting robot approaches the target vehicle, it performs a multi-angle scan to obtain heat source information and vehicle three-dimensional contour information. By fusing heat source information with vehicle 3D contour information and combining it with a pre-stored vehicle model, the 3D coordinates of the battery pack can be accurately calculated. Step S3. Coordinated firefighting operation: The firefighting robot moves to the optimal working point on the side of the vehicle and determines the puncture operation area. First, it controls the perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing device to connect to the puncture needle of the puncture robotic arm through the pipeline, performs the puncture operation on the puncture operation area and injects the fire extinguishing agent for localized and precise fire extinguishing. Then, it controls the tunnel fire hydrant quick matching interface integrated on the autonomous mobile platform to connect with the tunnel fire hydrant interface, switches the robotic arm to open the fire hydrant, and controls the rotatable fire hose to continuously cool the burning vehicle.

[0013] Step S4. Reignition monitoring and feedback: After the fire is extinguished, the fire-fighting robot continuously monitors the temperature of the battery area until it is confirmed that there is no risk of reignition, and feeds back the information of the whole process to the tunnel control center.

[0014] Furthermore, between steps S2 and S3, there is also a system linkage preparation step: the fire-fighting robot uploads the precisely located battery pack coordinate information to the tunnel control center and receives traffic control instructions and smoke exhaust control instructions from the tunnel control center.

[0015] Furthermore, in step S3, the injected extinguishing agent is perfluorohexanone, and the water source for the rotatable fire hose comes from the tunnel pipeline network connected to the tunnel fire hydrant quick interface.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: Firstly, this invention utilizes an autonomous mobile platform to penetrate deep into the heart of a tunnel fire. Through a detection and positioning assembly and a fire suppression execution assembly, it precisely locates the fire and the affected vehicle, pinpointing the source of the fire and facilitating early dynamic fire detection. This is particularly effective in accurately locating the battery pack even when the vehicle is deformed or obscured by smoke. Furthermore, by connecting with external personnel through a central control and communication system, fire suppression operations can be completed entirely autonomously or remotely. This deeply integrates with the existing tunnel safety management system, forming a closed loop for emergency response and improving the efficiency of fire suppression. Secondly, it provides at least one deployable puncture robotic arm, one deployable switch robotic arm, one perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing device, and one rotatable fire hose device. The perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing device is connected to the puncture needle of the puncture robotic arm via pipeline for precise local fire extinguishing operations in the puncture area; the tunnel fire hydrant quick-match interface integrated into the autonomous mobile platform connects to the tunnel fire hydrant interface, the deployable switch robotic arm opens the fire hydrant, and the rotatable fire hose continuously cools the burning vehicle. It adopts a highly efficient and environmentally friendly fire extinguishing method and utilizes road fire-fighting facilities to prevent reignition, greatly protecting personal and property safety. Third, the fire extinguishing method of the present invention can quickly identify the accident vehicle in the early stage of a fire, and after accurate positioning, take accurate fire extinguishing measures according to the situation at the accident site. It coordinates multiple methods to carry out fire extinguishing operations, which not only has high fire extinguishing efficiency, but also continuously monitors the entire fire extinguishing process at the fire site to prevent the fire from reigniting. It makes full use of the fire extinguishing equipment at the tunnel site, reduces the difficulty of fire handling, and reduces the threat to personal safety. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a new energy vehicle firefighting robot structure in a highway tunnel; Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the control method for a fire-fighting robot using a new energy vehicle in a highway tunnel. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions of this invention will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0020] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

[0021] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies in quickly and effectively handling fires caused by accidents involving new energy vehicles in tunnels, which often result in poor fire detection, rapid dissipation of harmful gases, health hazards, and the risk of secondary accidents, this invention proposes a thermal imaging-based firefighting robot for new energy vehicles in highway tunnels. By penetrating deep into the heart of a tunnel fire, it precisely locates the fire and the affected vehicle, pinpointing the source of the fire and facilitating early dynamic fire detection. It can accurately locate the battery pack, even when the vehicle is deformed or obscured by smoke. Connecting with external personnel, it can autonomously or remotely control firefighting operations and deeply integrate with the existing tunnel safety management system to form a closed-loop emergency response system.

[0022] Example 1 like Figure 1 As shown, this invention proposes a new energy vehicle fire-fighting robot for highway tunnels, specifically comprising the following: an autonomous mobile platform integrating a quick-connect interface for tunnel fire hydrants. It adopts a wide-body tracked design, capable of traversing obstacles with a height of 8cm or more. While possessing anti-slip properties, it also exhibits strong versatility, adapting to complex road surfaces such as tunnel maintenance walkways and curbs. Its low center of gravity and high structural strength provide a certain degree of explosion-proof and impact-resistant capabilities. This ensures rapid entry into the accident center without being damaged by unexpected situations at the fire scene. Furthermore, it integrates a high-precision odometer and an inertial navigation unit such as an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) to achieve autonomous navigation and positioning, improving the robot's intelligence and providing stable support for subsequent fire-fighting operations.

[0023] Specifically, the detection and positioning assembly is located at the front end of the autonomous mobile platform. This assembly includes at least an infrared thermal imager and a lidar, used to dynamically scan and locate the battery heat source of the new energy vehicle during the firefighting robot's movement. The assembly also includes a visible light camera and a local environment sensor, mounted on a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) platform. The PTN platform's height allows the infrared thermal imager's central line of sight to cover an area from the ground to the top of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the detection and positioning assembly is mounted on the PTN platform at a height of 120cm–150cm above the ground. The infrared thermal imager is interference-resistant, with a wavelength of 8–14μm, a resolution greater than or equal to 640×480, and a frame rate greater than or equal to 25Hz. It integrates dynamic range compression and tunnel dust scattering compensation algorithms, enabling real-time imaging through smoke. The lidar is a 3D lidar, used for near-range obstacle avoidance, vehicle contour scanning, and operational space modeling. The visible light camera assists in observing open flames, license plates, and vehicle damage, and can also be used for remote monitoring of the scene. Local environmental sensors can detect temperature, humidity, volatile organic compounds, and smoke particles, keenly sensing the microenvironment surrounding the robot. The gimbal can achieve pitch freedom of -30° to +15° and horizontal swing freedom of ±30°, enabling the detection assembly to actively scan targets whether the firefighting robot is stationary or moving.

[0024] Specifically, the fire extinguishing assembly is mounted on an autonomous mobile platform and includes at least one deployable puncture robotic arm and one deployable switching robotic arm. Both robotic arms are foldable, multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arms, spatially separated from the detection and positioning assembly, and typically installed in the middle and rear of the robot platform. During operation, they deploy from the side or rear of the fire extinguishing robot to avoid interfering with the detection range of the front-end detection assembly. The end effector of the puncture robotic arm is a hollow puncture needle, integrating force and depth sensing feedback units. This hollow puncture needle can quickly and accurately spray extinguishing agent towards the fire source. In this embodiment, it achieves precise, rapid, and impactful spraying of extinguishing agent onto the battery pack of the new energy vehicle, achieving cooling and fire extinguishing operations at the source, reducing the chance of the fire continuing to develop, and suppressing the fire at its source.

[0025] Specifically, the perfluorohexanone (PFH) fire extinguishing device performs precise, localized fire suppression operations on the puncture site. The PPH extinguishing agent storage unit is connected to the puncture needle of the robotic arm via piping. The autonomous mobile platform integrates a tunnel fire hydrant quick-match interface, which connects to the tunnel fire hydrant interface. The deployable robotic arm opens the fire hydrant, and the rotatable fire hose continuously cools the burning vehicle. The rotatable fire hose is located on top of the fire extinguishing robot, allowing for 360° horizontal rotation and pitch adjustment from -15° to +90°. Utilizing the water pressure of the tunnel fire pipeline, the range is greater than or equal to 10 meters. The rotatable fire hose is primarily used for large-area cooling, dispersing and blocking smoke and gases. The PPH extinguishing devices are distributed on the sides of the fire extinguishing robot, pointing towards the puncture site, for efficient and rapid fire suppression. Perfluorohexanone is beneficial due to its insulating, environmentally friendly properties and its ability to effectively inhibit lithium-ion battery chain reactions. Therefore, the perfluorohexanone (PFH) extinguishing agent storage and delivery unit contains 20L to 50L of PPH extinguishing agent, which is delivered to the puncture needle via independent piping for rapid fire extinguishing of the battery pack. A quick-connect interface for tunnel fire hydrants is also installed at the rear of the fire-fighting robot, using automatic docking or manual quick-connection to connect to the fire hydrants on the tunnel sidewall, serving as the water source for the rotating fire hose. Through the high efficiency and practicality of PPH extinguishing agent and the introduction of a tunnel fire water source, a dual fire extinguishing operation of fire suppression and cooling is achieved at the fire scene, improving fire extinguishing efficiency.

[0026] Specifically, the central control and communication system connects the detection and positioning assembly, the fire suppression execution assembly, and the autonomous mobile platform. It processes data from the detection and positioning assembly, plans routes, controls the fire suppression execution assembly's operations, and communicates with the tunnel control center. The central control and communication system operates a positioning algorithm that matches and fuses real-time thermal imaging data and LiDAR point cloud data collected by the detection and positioning assembly with pre-stored high-precision tunnel maps and 3D models of common vehicle types to calculate the precise 3D coordinates of the battery pack in the tunnel's global coordinate system and compensate for battery pack displacement caused by vehicle collision deformation. This includes a dynamic heat source identification and tracking algorithm to process the thermal imaging video stream and distinguish between engine waste heat, brake pad heating, and battery thermal runaway characteristics.

[0027] A multi-source fusion localization algorithm is used to fuse the thermal imaging target orientation, LiDAR point cloud contour, and the robot's own pose. Combined with a pre-stored high-precision tunnel map and a library of common vehicle 3D models including standard battery pack locations, it calculates the precise 3D coordinates of the battery pack in the tunnel's global coordinate system, achieving a positioning accuracy better than 0.3m. Path planning and obstacle avoidance algorithms plan the optimal safe path along the edge of maintenance lanes or roads based on the fire source location and tunnel environment. During fire suppression, the central control and communication system transmits the fire-fighting robot's location, fire source coordinates, on-site images, and environmental data to the tunnel control center in real time. It also receives traffic control and smoke extraction control commands from the tunnel control center, enabling coordinated response. The autonomous fire-fighting robot can perform fire suppression operations autonomously based on the fire situation or in conjunction with commands from remote control personnel. The communication module employs a multi-mode redundancy design, including industrial Wi-Fi access to the tunnel wireless network, 5G / 4G public network backup, and a wired Ethernet interface for connection at the base station. This ensures real-time and reliable data interaction with the control center in the complex tunnel environment, transmitting thermal images, video streams, and status information.

[0028] During firefighting operations, the central control and communication system controls the puncture robotic arm to perform puncture and inject perfluorohexanone extinguishing agent, while simultaneously controlling the rotating fire hose device for cooling. This dual-action firefighting operation enhances efficiency. A high-energy-density lithium-ion battery pack serves as the main power source, providing at least 4 hours of continuous operation. An optional automatic cable reel can be added, allowing connection to the tunnel's emergency power supply for unlimited operation in long tunnels. To address the challenges of tunnel fires, a high-energy-storage battery powers the firefighting robot, ensuring robust support for firefighting operations.

[0029] In this embodiment, an autonomous mobile platform can penetrate deep into the epicenter of a tunnel fire. Through a detection and positioning assembly and a fire suppression execution assembly, the fire situation and the affected vehicle are precisely located, pinpointing the fire source and facilitating early dynamic fire detection. This is particularly effective in accurately locating the battery pack even when the vehicle is deformed or obscured by smoke. Furthermore, the platform connects with external personnel via a central control and communication system, enabling fully autonomous or remote control of fire suppression operations. Deep integration with the existing tunnel safety management system forms a closed-loop emergency response, significantly improving fire suppression efficiency. The use of highly efficient, environmentally friendly, and reignition-preventing specialized fire suppression methods maximizes the protection of personal safety and property.

[0030] Example 2 like Figure 2 As shown, this invention also proposes a control method for a new energy vehicle thermal imaging positioning fire extinguishing robot in a highway tunnel, using the new energy vehicle fire extinguishing robot in a highway tunnel as described in any of Embodiment 1, including the following steps: Step S1. Mobile Scanning and Detection: As the fire-fighting robot moves towards the fire zone, it uses its front-end detection and positioning assembly to perform dynamic thermal imaging and lidar scanning of the lanes, initially identifying and locking onto high-temperature target vehicles. In practice, the heat-sensing fiber optic or flame detectors installed at the tunnel ceiling issue a preliminary alarm. After confirmation by the monitoring center, dedicated firefighters transport the fire-fighting robot to the fire scene. Upon arrival near the fire scene, the robot is connected to the tunnel fire hydrant, activated, and driven towards the alarm area. While en route to the fire incident, the front-end detection assembly continuously performs a fan-shaped scan of the lanes ahead. The thermal imager identifies areas of abnormally high temperature, such as those exceeding 80°C. LiDAR outlines the vehicle's silhouette, and the central control and communication system initially marks suspicious targets.

[0031] Step S2. Precise Positioning and Approach: After approaching the target vehicle, the fire-fighting robot performs multi-angle scanning. By fusing heat source information with the vehicle's 3D contour and combining it with a pre-stored vehicle model, the 3D coordinates of the battery pack are precisely calculated. The fire-fighting robot performs a brief stop and scan around the vehicle after approaching, or uses a gimbal for multi-angle scanning. By fusing real-time thermal imaging with LiDAR point clouds and matching it with a vehicle model database, the vehicle brand and model, as well as the situation of trapped personnel, are accurately identified, and the actual 3D coordinates of the battery pack, which may have shifted due to the collision, are calculated. Simultaneously, the size of the fire and the direction of smoke diffusion are assessed.

[0032] Step S3. Collaborative Firefighting Operation: The firefighting robot moves to the optimal working point beside the vehicle and determines the puncture operation area. First, it controls the perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing device to connect to the puncture needle of the puncture robotic arm through pipelines, performing a puncture operation on the puncture operation area and injecting extinguishing agent for precise local fire extinguishing. Then, it controls the tunnel fire hydrant quick-match interface integrated into the autonomous mobile platform to connect with the tunnel fire hydrant interface, opening the fire hydrant with the robotic arm, and controlling the rotatable fire hose to continuously cool the burning vehicle. Alternatively, the firefighting robot first sends precise positioning information to the monitoring center, then moves to the optimal working point beside the vehicle, and firefighters remotely open the fire hydrant to spray water for fire extinguishing. Multi-party collaborative firefighting operations greatly improve firefighting efficiency.

[0033] Step S4. Reignition Monitoring and Feedback: After the fire is extinguished, the fire-fighting robot continuously monitors the temperature of the battery area until it confirms there is no risk of reignition, and feeds back the entire process information to the control center. Then, the front-end detection assembly of the fire-fighting robot continuously locks onto the battery area, monitoring its temperature changes to prevent reignition. The control algorithm sets a safety threshold, such as below 60°C and continuously decreasing it. If the temperature rises again, a secondary fire-fighting program is automatically initiated, with monitoring set to continue for at least 1 hour. After confirming that the fire is completely extinguished and there is no risk of reignition, the robot sends a "mission complete" signal to the monitoring center. The monitoring center coordinates the activation of the tunnel smoke exhaust fans for thorough smoke removal and gradually restores traffic. The entire process is precise and rapid, preventing secondary reignition of the fire, quickly restoring traffic, and protecting personal and property safety.

[0034] In one specific embodiment, between steps S2 and S3, a system linkage preparation step is also included: the fire-fighting robot uploads the precisely located battery pack coordinates to the tunnel control center and receives traffic control instructions and smoke extraction control instructions from the tunnel control center. Since actual fire scenes are filled with many uncontrollable situations, to avoid misjudgments by the fire-fighting robot during monitoring and fire-fighting operations, firefighters can remotely control the fire-fighting operations performed by the robot, making fire-fighting operations more efficient and fire control more accurate. This avoids situations where the fire-fighting robot misjudges the fire scene, leading to incomplete fire control or misjudgments of the fire situation.

[0035] In step S3, the injected extinguishing agent is perfluorohexanone (PFH), and the water source for the rotatable fire hose comes from the tunnel pipeline network connected to the tunnel fire hydrant quick-connect interface. PFH is an important extinguishing agent; it is a fluorinated ketone compound that is a clear, colorless, and odorless liquid. It is superpressurized with nitrogen and stored in a high-pressure cylinder as part of the fire extinguishing system. Pressurizing PFH into the fire-fighting robot significantly improves fire extinguishing efficiency during collaborative firefighting operations. Furthermore, in this embodiment, PFH is pressurized and delivered to the puncture needle via a dedicated pipeline, enabling precise fire extinguishing of the new energy vehicle battery pack. This direct approach to the fire source avoids resource waste and improves the efficiency of the fire extinguishing operation. The use of a highly efficient, environmentally friendly, and reignition-preventing specialized fire extinguishing method greatly protects personal and property safety.

[0036] This method allows for the rapid identification of vehicles involved in a fire in its early stages. After precise location, accurate firefighting measures can be taken based on the situation at the accident site. By coordinating multiple methods to extinguish the fire, the method achieves high firefighting efficiency while also monitoring the entire firefighting process at the fire scene, preventing the fire from reigniting. It also makes full use of the firefighting equipment at the tunnel site, reducing the difficulty of handling the fire and minimizing threats to personal safety.

[0037] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A new energy vehicle fire-fighting robot for highway tunnels, characterized in that, include: An autonomous mobile platform, which integrates a quick interface for tunnel fire hydrants; A detection and positioning assembly is located at the front end of the autonomous mobile platform. The detection and positioning assembly includes at least an infrared thermal imager and a lidar, which are used to dynamically scan and locate the battery heat source of the new energy vehicle during the movement of the fire-fighting robot. The fire extinguishing assembly is mounted on the autonomous mobile platform. The fire extinguishing assembly includes at least a deployable puncture robotic arm, a deployable switch robotic arm, a perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing device, and a rotatable fire hose device, which are used for localized and precise fire extinguishing of the heat source of the fire vehicle battery and all-round prevention of reignition and cooling. The central control and communication system connects the detection and positioning assembly, the fire extinguishing execution assembly, and the autonomous mobile platform. It is used to process data from the detection and positioning assembly, plan paths, control the operation of the fire extinguishing execution assembly, and communicate and coordinate with the tunnel control center.

2. The new energy vehicle fire extinguishing robot for highway tunnels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection and positioning assembly also includes a visible light camera and a local environment sensor, which are mounted on a pan-tilt head that can tilt and swing horizontally. The gimbal is installed at a height such that the central line of sight of the infrared thermal imager can cover the area from the ground nearby to the top of the vehicle in the distance.

3. The new energy vehicle fire extinguishing robot for highway tunnels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The central control and communication system operates a positioning algorithm, which matches and fuses the real-time thermal imaging data and lidar point cloud data collected by the detection and positioning assembly with the pre-stored high-precision tunnel map and common vehicle model 3D models to calculate the precise 3D coordinates of the battery pack in the tunnel's global coordinate system and to compensate for the battery pack displacement caused by vehicle collision deformation.

4. The new energy vehicle fire-fighting robot for highway tunnels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The puncture robotic arm is separate from the detection and positioning assembly, and the puncture robotic arm deploys from the side or rear of the fire extinguishing robot during operation; The end effector of the puncture robotic arm is a puncture needle, and it also integrates a force and depth sensing feedback unit.

5. The new energy vehicle fire extinguishing robot for highway tunnels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing device includes a perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing agent storage unit and a connecting pipeline; the perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing agent storage unit is connected to the puncture needle of the puncture robotic arm through the connecting pipeline; it also includes a tunnel fire hydrant quick-match interface integrated with the autonomous mobile platform; The rotatable fire hose device includes a rotating fire hose connected to a fire hydrant, used for continuous cooling of the puncture operation area.

6. The new energy vehicle fire extinguishing robot for highway tunnels according to claim 5, characterized in that, During firefighting operations, the central control and communication system uses a switch robotic arm to open the fire hydrant and the rotating fire hose. First, it sprays fine water mist to suppress smoke and gas. Then, it controls the puncture robotic arm to perform a puncture operation and inject perfluorohexanone extinguishing agent. At the same time, it controls the rotating fire hose to perform a coordinated cooling operation.

7. The new energy vehicle fire extinguishing robot for highway tunnels according to claim 1, characterized in that, During fire response, the central control and communication system transmits the robot's location, fire source coordinates, on-site images, and environmental data to the tunnel control center in real time, and receives traffic control instructions and smoke extraction control instructions from the tunnel control center to achieve coordinated response.

8. A control method for a new energy vehicle thermal imaging positioning fire extinguishing robot in a highway tunnel, characterized in that, The method is applicable to the new energy vehicle fire extinguishing robot in the highway tunnel according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and the method includes the following: Step S1. Mobile scanning and detection: As the fire-fighting robot moves toward the fire area, it uses its front-end detection and positioning assembly to perform dynamic thermal imaging and lidar scanning of the lane to initially identify and lock onto high-temperature target vehicles. Step S2. Precisely locate and approach: After the fire-fighting robot approaches the target vehicle, it performs a multi-angle scan to obtain heat source information and vehicle three-dimensional contour information. The heat source information is fused with the vehicle's three-dimensional contour information, and combined with a pre-stored vehicle model, to accurately calculate the three-dimensional coordinates of the battery pack. Step S3. Coordinated firefighting operation: The firefighting robot moves to the optimal working point on the side of the vehicle and determines the puncture operation area. First, it controls the perfluorohexanone fire extinguishing device to connect to the puncture needle of the puncture robotic arm through the pipeline, performs a puncture operation on the puncture operation area and injects fire extinguishing agent for localized and precise fire extinguishing. Then, it controls the tunnel fire hydrant quick matching interface integrated in the autonomous mobile platform to connect with the tunnel fire hydrant interface, controls the switch robotic arm to open the fire hydrant, and controls the rotatable fire hose to continuously cool the fire vehicle. Step S4. Reignition monitoring and feedback: After the fire is extinguished, the fire-fighting robot continuously monitors the temperature of the battery area until it is confirmed that there is no risk of reignition, and feeds back the information of the whole process to the tunnel control center.

9. The control method for a new energy vehicle fire extinguishing robot in a highway tunnel according to claim 8, characterized in that, Between step S2 and step S3, there is also a system linkage preparation step: the fire extinguishing robot uploads the precisely located battery pack coordinate information to the tunnel control center and receives traffic control instructions and smoke exhaust control instructions from the tunnel control center.

10. The control method for a new energy vehicle fire extinguishing robot in a highway tunnel according to claim 8, characterized in that, In step S3, the injected extinguishing agent is perfluorohexanone, and the water source for the rotatable fire hose comes from the tunnel pipeline network connected to the tunnel fire hydrant quick interface.

Images