VEHICLE FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD THEREFOR

Abstract

In one embodiment, a vehicle fire protection system and method therefor determines the combustion oxygen demand for the interior and / or the various enclosed parts of the vehicle, detects a current amount of oxygen in the interior and / or the enclosed parts, and if the current amount of oxygen is greater than the combustion oxygen demand, supplies a gas for venting the oxygen from the interior of the vehicle and / or the enclosed parts to the exterior of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle fire protection system and method are capable of preventing a vehicle fire by adjusting the amount of oxygen in an interior of a vehicle and / or various enclosed parts of the vehicle to be less than the combustion oxygen demand that can cause a combustion reaction.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle fire protection system and methods therefor. BACKGROUND

[0002] In general, flammable fuels, various electrical components and wires, and high-voltage batteries are intricately installed in a vehicle and pose risk factors for vehicle fires.

[0003] For example, since various parts that can cause fire, such as internal combustion engines, electric motors, electrical components and wires, are intensively mounted in a vehicle's engine compartment, a fire can result from the damage of these parts in a vehicle collision.

[0004] Particularly with the increasing use of environmentally friendly vehicles, such as electric vehicles, fires in high-voltage batteries or high-voltage electrical cables can occur due to external vibrations or similar.

[0005] If a vehicle fire occurs and the driver and passengers fail to escape quickly, the flames and smoke caused by the fire can lead to casualties.

[0006] Accordingly, to prevent vehicle fires, techniques have generally been used to extinguish vehicle fires by operating a fire extinguisher when it is determined that a fire has started due to the detection of flammable gas, flames, smoke, temperature or the like.

[0007] However, since flames or smoke appearing inside the vehicle are only detected after a vehicle fire has occurred, it is difficult to prevent the vehicle fire from spreading, which may result in total loss of the vehicle and loss of life.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need for a technology to extinguish vehicle fires early or to prevent vehicle fires before the fire spreads.

[0009] The information disclosed in this Background section is provided solely to enhance understanding of the background of the present disclosure and may therefore contain information that is not prior art and is already publicly known or used. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle fire protection system and method thereof, and more particularly to a vehicle fire protection system and method thereof capable of preventing a vehicle fire by adjusting the amount of oxygen in the interior of a vehicle or in an enclosed portion of the vehicle to be less than a combustion oxygen demand that may cause a combustion reaction.

[0011] Some embodiments of the present disclosure can solve the above-described problems associated with the prior art. An embodiment of the present disclosure can provide a vehicle fire protection system and method that detects a current amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle or in the enclosed parts and, in a case where the current amount of oxygen is greater than the combustion oxygen demand, supplies a gas for discharging the oxygen to the outside of the interior of the vehicle and the enclosed parts. The vehicle fire protection system and method is capable of preventing a vehicle fire by adjusting the amount of oxygen in an interior of a vehicle and in various enclosed parts of the vehicle to be smaller than a combustion oxygen demand that may cause a combustion reaction.by determining the combustion oxygen requirement for the interior of the vehicle (for example, a passenger compartment, an engine compartment, or the like) or the various enclosed parts of the vehicle.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle fire protection system includes a gas sensor that detects a current amount of oxygen in the interior of a vehicle or inside a closed part of the vehicle, a fire detector that prevents the possibility of a fire occurring in the vehicle, a gas tank that is mounted in the vehicle and filled with a gas for discharging oxygen in the interior of the vehicle or inside the closed part to the outside, a valve that is mounted on an outlet of the gas tank to be opened or closed, a gas supply line that is connected between the outlet of the valve and the interior of the vehicle or the closed part, and a controller that controls the opening and closing of the valve based on a detection signal of the gas sensor and a detection signal of the fire detector.

[0013] In one embodiment, the interior of the vehicle may be a passenger compartment or an engine compartment, and the enclosed part may be a high-voltage battery or an electrical component.

[0014] In one embodiment, the fire detector may be a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part, or a light intensity sensor that detects the light intensity of the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part.

[0015] In one embodiment, the gas tank may be filled with a gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen in order to release the oxygen present in the interior of the vehicle or within the enclosed part to the outside.

[0016] In one embodiment, the gas tank may alternatively be filled with carbon dioxide or an inert gas, an odorous gas or an aromatic gas with a higher molecular weight than that of oxygen, or a mixture of two or more thereof.

[0017] In one embodiment, an oxygen outlet opening may be formed in a housing of the closed part, through which the oxygen inside the closed part can be discharged to the outside when the gas in the gas tank is supplied into the closed part.

[0018] In one embodiment, a check valve that prevents the backflow of external oxygen may be mounted in the oxygen outlet port.

[0019] In one embodiment, the controller may be configured to receive the detection signal from the fire detector, compare the current oxygen quantity detected by the gas sensor with a selected, set, preset, or predetermined threshold value for the combustion oxygen demand in the interior of the vehicle or in the enclosed part, and, in a case where the current oxygen quantity is greater than the combustion oxygen demand, control the opening of the valve to supply the gas in the gas tank into the interior of the vehicle or into the enclosed part.

[0020] In one embodiment, the combustion oxygen demand may be selected, adjusted, preset, or predetermined depending on the size and material of the interior of the vehicle or the size and material of the enclosed part.

[0021] In one embodiment, the vehicle fire protection system may further comprise an odor sensor that detects the odor in the interior of the vehicle or in the closed part and transmits a detection signal to the controller.

[0022] In one embodiment, the controller may be configured to determine that the current oxygen amount in the vehicle interior or the enclosed part is equal to or greater than a selected, set, preset, or predetermined combustion oxygen demand for the vehicle interior or the enclosed part, in a case where an odor concentration indicated by the detection signal from the gas sensor after the gas in the gas tank is supplied to the vehicle interior or the enclosed part is less than a threshold value, and perform control to maintain an opening state of the valve of the gas tank.

[0023] In one embodiment, the controller may be configured to determine that the current oxygen amount in the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part is less than a selected, set, preset, or predetermined combustion oxygen demand for the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part, in a case where an odor concentration indicated by the detection signal from the gas sensor after the gas in the gas tank is supplied into the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and to perform control to close the valve of the gas tank.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle fire protection system includes detecting a current amount of oxygen in the interior of a vehicle or inside a closed part of the vehicle by a gas sensor, a step of detecting a possibility of occurrence of a fire of the vehicle by a fire detector, controlling the opening of a valve attached to an outlet of a gas tank based on a detection signal of the gas sensor and a detection signal of the fire detector by a controller, supplying a gas having a molecular weight larger than that of oxygen filled in the gas tank into the interior of the vehicle or the closed part, and discharging the oxygen in the interior of the vehicle or the closed part to the outside through the gas having the molecular weight larger than that of the oxygen in the interior of the vehicle or inside the closed part.

[0025] In one embodiment, detecting the possibility of a fire occurring in the vehicle by the fire detector may include detecting the temperature of the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part by a temperature sensor or detecting a light intensity of the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part by a light intensity sensor.

[0026] In one embodiment, the gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen charged into the gas tank may alternatively be a carbon dioxide or an inert gas, an odorous gas or an aromatic gas, or a mixture of two or more thereof.

[0027] In one embodiment, the controller may be configured to receive the detection signal from the fire detector, compare the current oxygen amount detected by the gas sensor with a selected, set, preset, or predetermined threshold value for the combustion oxygen demand for the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part, and, in a case where the current oxygen amount is greater than the combustion oxygen demand, control to open the valve to supply the gas with the molecular weight greater than that of the oxygen in the gas tank into the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part.

[0028] In one embodiment, the vehicle fire protection system may further comprise detecting odors in the interior of the vehicle or in the enclosed part and transmitting a detection signal to the controller.

[0029] In one embodiment, the controller may be configured to, in a case where an odor concentration indicated by the detection signal from the gas sensor after the gas having the molecular weight larger than that of the oxygen in the gas tank is supplied into the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part is smaller than a reference value, determine that the current oxygen amount in the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part is equal to or larger than a selected, set, preset, or predetermined threshold value for the combustion oxygen demand for the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part, and perform control to maintain an opening state of the valve of the gas tank.

[0030] In one embodiment, the controller may be configured to, in a case where an odor concentration indicated by the detection signal from the gas sensor after the gas having the molecular weight larger than that of the oxygen in the gas tank is supplied into the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part is equal to or larger than a reference value, determine that the current oxygen amount in the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part is less than a selected, set, preset, or predetermined threshold value for the combustion oxygen demand for the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part, and perform control to close the valve of the gas tank.

[0031] It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or other similar terms used herein may refer to motor-powered vehicles in general, such as passenger cars, including sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and vehicles using other alternative fuels (e.g., fuels derived from feedstocks other than petroleum). As mentioned herein, a hybrid vehicle may be a vehicle that has two or more power sources, for example, both gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTERS

[0032] The foregoing and other features of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which are given herein for illustrative purposes only and thus are not necessarily limiting of the present disclosure, in which: Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operating state of the vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operating state of the vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are flowcharts illustrating a vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily limited to scale and present a somewhat simplified representation of various features of some embodiments. The specific design features of some embodiments of the present disclosure as disclosed herein, including, for example, particular dimensions, orientations, positions, and shapes, may be determined in part by the particular intended application and usage environment.

[0034] In the figures, reference numerals may refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present disclosure in the different figures of the drawing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

[0035] In the following, various embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, will be described in detail. Although the present disclosure is described in connection with exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the present description is not intended to necessarily limit the disclosure to the exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0036] In this specification, terms such as "a first" and / or "a second" may be used to describe various components, but the components are not necessarily limited by such terms. These terms may be used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and the second component may be referred to as a first component.

[0037] There are three known factors that can be the main causes of vehicle fires: an ignition source, a combustible material, and oxygen.

[0038] The ignition source can refer to heat (temperature), sparks, and flames required for combustion. The size of an ignition source can be determined by physical properties such as the ignition point and flash point of a combustible material. Combustible material can refer to any material that can initiate a combustion reaction with oxygen, such as plastic, gasoline, diesel oil, lubricating oil, and the like.

[0039] Oxygen is required for a combustion reaction to ignite the combustible material, and the combustion oxygen demand that can cause the combustion reaction can be determined depending on the physical and chemical properties of the combustible material.

[0040] In a case where the current amount of oxygen contained in a closed part of a vehicle containing combustible material is less than the combustion oxygen demand, the combustion reaction will not occur even if the ignition source is generated in the combustible material, and the combustion reaction may eventually disappear naturally unless oxygen is continuously supplied to the closed part of the vehicle. Accordingly, a vehicle fire can be prevented by adjusting the amount of oxygen in the interior of a vehicle and in a closed part of the vehicle to be less than the combustion oxygen demand.

[0041] A law stating that the outflow velocity of a gas at constant temperature and pressure is inversely proportional to the square root of its molecular weight is already known as Graham's Law, which states that a gas with a lighter molecule will flow out faster than a gas with a heavier molecule in a given space. Based on Graham's Law, an embodiment of the present disclosure can be configured to allow a gas with a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen (e.g., carbon dioxide, an inert gas used for firefighting, or the like) to flow into an interior of a vehicle and a closed part of the vehicle, such as aa high-voltage battery, to release oxygen in the interior of the vehicle and in the enclosed part to the outside and to adjust the amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle and in the enclosed part so that it is less than the combustion oxygen requirement, thereby preventing a vehicle fire in advance.

[0042] Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operating state of the vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] The vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a gas sensor 10 that detects a current amount of oxygen in an interior of a vehicle, a fire detector 20 that detects the possibility of a fire occurring in the interior of the vehicle, and a gas tank 40 that is mounted in the vehicle and filled with a gas in the interior of the vehicle for discharging oxygen.

[0044] The interior of the vehicle may be, for example, a passenger compartment or an engine compartment, and the gas sensor 10 may be an oxygen sensor that measures the amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle.

[0045] A temperature sensor 21 that detects the temperature in the vehicle interior and / or a light intensity sensor 22 that detects the light intensity in the vehicle interior can be used as the fire detector 20. The temperature sensor 21 and the light intensity sensor 22 can be used together.

[0046] The temperature sensor 21 can measure whether a current temperature in the interior of the vehicle is equal to or higher than a preset reference temperature at which there is a high risk of fire, and the light sensor 22 can detect sparks or flames of a certain size that briefly occur in the interior of the vehicle.

[0047] The gas tank 40 may be filled with a gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen to exhaust the oxygen in the vehicle interior to the outside of the vehicle interior or the outside of the vehicle.

[0048] The gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen in the gas tank 40 may be, for example, carbon dioxide, an inert gas, an odor gas and an aroma gas or a mixture of two or more thereof.

[0049] The gas tank 40 may be filled, for example, with carbon dioxide and an inert gas as a gas having a higher molecular weight than oxygen, a mixture of carbon dioxide and an odorous gas or an aromatic gas, or a mixture of an inert gas and an odorous gas or an aromatic gas.

[0050] In order to supply the gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen filled in the gas tank 40 to the interior of the vehicle, an electric valve 42 may be attached to be opened or closed at an outlet of the gas tank 40, and a gas supply pipe 44 may be connected between the outlet of the valve 42 and the interior of the vehicle.

[0051] The opening and closing of the valve 42 may be controlled by a controller 50. The controller 50 may be configured to perform control for opening or closing the valve 42 based on a detection signal of the current oxygen amount from the gas sensor 10 and / or a detection signal of the possibility of fire occurrence from the fire detector 20.

[0052] The controller 50 may be configured to receive the detection signal of the possibility of fire occurrence from the fire detector 20, compare the current oxygen amount detected by the gas sensor 10 with a selected, set, preset, or predetermined threshold value for the combustion oxygen demand in the interior of the vehicle, and, in a case where the current oxygen amount is greater than the combustion oxygen demand, control the opening of the valve 42.

[0053] The fire possibility detection signal may be a signal indicating that the current temperature in the vehicle interior measured by the temperature sensor 21 is equal to or higher than a preset reference temperature at which there is a high possibility of fire occurrence, or it may be a signal indicating that momentary sparks or flames of a certain size occurring in the vehicle interior are detected by the light intensity sensor 22. The combustion oxygen demand may be determined in advance through experiments depending on the sizes and materials of the interiors for each vehicle type and stored in a memory unit for the controller 50.

[0054] When the valve 42 is opened under the control of the controller 50, the gas whose molecular weight is greater than that of the oxygen in the gas tank 40 can be supplied to the interior of the vehicle via the gas supply line 44.

[0055] Accordingly, in a case where the gas whose molecular weight is larger than that of oxygen is supplied into the interior of the vehicle, such as the passenger compartment and the engine compartment, the oxygen present in the interior of the vehicle may escape to the outside, for example, through door gaps according to the above-mentioned Graham's law, as in Fig. 2. This allows the amount of oxygen in the vehicle interior to be adjusted so that it is less than the combustion oxygen requirement.

[0056] By adjusting the amount of oxygen in the vehicle interior to be less than the combustion oxygen requirement before the actual vehicle fire occurs in a condition where the possibility of a fire occurring in the vehicle interior is high, the vehicle fire can be extinguished or prevented at an early stage.

[0057] The vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include an odor sensor 30 that detects an odor in the interior of the vehicle and transmits a detection signal (e.g., an odor detection signal) to the controller 50.

[0058] Accordingly, after the gas having the molecular weight greater than that of oxygen in the gas tank 40 (for example, a mixture of carbon dioxide and an odor gas or an aroma gas, or a mixture of an inert gas and an odor gas or an aroma gas) is supplied into the interior of the vehicle, in a case where an odor concentration indicated by the detection signal received from the odor sensor 30 is less than a reference value, the controller 50 may determine that the current amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle is equal to or greater than the selected, set, preset, or predetermined combustion oxygen demand threshold, and may perform control to maintain an open state of the valve 42 of the gas tank 40.

[0059] On the other hand, after the gas with the molecular weight greater than that of oxygen in the gas tank 40 (for example, a mixture of carbon dioxide and an odor gas or an aroma gas, or a mixture of an inert gas and an odor gas or an aroma gas) is supplied into the interior of the vehicle, in a case where the odor concentration indicated by the detection signal received from the odor sensor 30 is equal to or greater than the reference value (for example, a reference odor value), the controller 50 may determine that the current amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle is less than the selected, set, preset, or predetermined combustion oxygen demand threshold, and may perform control to close the valve 42 of the gas tank 40.

[0060] The controller 50 may be configured to perform the control to close the valve 42 and simultaneously actuate a visual and / or audible alarm device mounted in the vehicle.

[0061] In one embodiment, the odor sensor can be used to determine whether the current amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle is equal to, greater than, or less than the preset combustion oxygen requirement in the interior of the vehicle, and since the current oxygen content in the interior of the vehicle is set to be less than the combustion oxygen requirement, for example, the occupants or bystanders outside the vehicle can assure themselves that there is no fire hazard by means of an alarm from the alarm device.

[0062] Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operating state of the vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0063] The vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment may include a gas sensor 10 that detects a current amount of oxygen in a closed part 60 of a vehicle, a fire detector 20 that detects the possibility of fire occurrence in the closed part 60, and a gas tank 40 mounted in the vehicle and filled with a gas to discharge the oxygen in the closed part 60 to the outside.

[0064] The closed part 60 may be a high-voltage battery or a plurality of electrical components, for example a part whose interior is enclosed by a housing 61, and the gas sensor 10 may be an oxygen sensor that measures the amount of oxygen in the closed part 60.

[0065] An oxygen outlet opening 62 may be formed in the housing 61 of the closed part 60, through which the oxygen inside the closed part 60 can be discharged to the outside when the gas with which the gas tank 40 is filled is supplied to the closed part 60.

[0066] A check valve 63 may be provided in the oxygen outlet port 62 to prevent the backflow of external oxygen and to discharge the internal oxygen to the outside.

[0067] For example, as in the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 illustrates, in the case of a high-voltage battery as an example of the closed part 60 mounted in the vehicle, because oxygen that promotes combustion in the event of a fire occurrence may be present inside the high-voltage battery, in order to discharge the oxygen from inside the case of the high-voltage battery to the outside, the oxygen discharge port 62 may be formed in the case of the high-voltage battery, and the check valve 63 may be provided in the oxygen discharge port 62.

[0068] As the fire detector 20, either a temperature sensor 21 that detects the temperature of the closed part 60 or a light intensity sensor 22 that detects the light intensity of the closed part 60 can be used, or the temperature sensor 21 and the light intensity sensor 22 can be used together.

[0069] The temperature sensor 21 can measure whether a current temperature of the closed part 60 is equal to or higher than a preset reference temperature at which there is a high fire hazard, and the light sensor 22 can detect sparks or flames of a certain size that briefly occur in the closed part 60.

[0070] The gas tank 40 can be filled with a gas whose molecular weight is greater than that of oxygen in order to release the oxygen contained in the closed part 60 to the outside.

[0071] The gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen that is filled into the gas tank 40 may be, for example, carbon dioxide, an inert gas, an odor gas and an aroma gas, or a mixture of two or more thereof.

[0072] The gas tank 40 may be filled, for example, with carbon dioxide and an inert gas as a gas having a higher molecular weight than oxygen, a mixture of carbon dioxide and an odorous gas or an aromatic gas, or a mixture of an inert gas and an odorous gas or an aromatic gas.

[0073] Furthermore, in order to supply the gas having a molecular weight larger than that of the oxygen filled in the gas tank 40, an electric valve 42 may be installed in the closed part 60 to be opened or closed at an outlet of the gas tank 40, and a gas supply pipe 44 may be connected between the outlet of the valve 42 and the gas supply pipe 44.

[0074] The opening and closing of the valve 42 may be controlled by a controller 50. The controller 50 may be configured to perform control for opening or closing the valve 42 based on a detection signal of the current oxygen amount from the gas sensor 10 and / or a detection signal of the possibility of fire occurrence from the fire detector 20.

[0075] The controller 50 may be configured to receive the detection signal of the possibility of fire occurrence from the fire detector 20, compare the current oxygen amount detected by the gas sensor 10 with a selected, set, preset, or predetermined threshold value for the combustion oxygen demand for the closed part 60, and, in a case where the current oxygen amount is greater than the combustion oxygen demand, perform a control to open the valve 42.

[0076] The fire possibility detection signal may be a signal indicating that the current temperature of the closed part 60 measured by the temperature sensor 21 is equal to or higher than the preset reference temperature at which there is a high possibility of fire occurrence, or it may be a signal indicating that momentary sparks or flames of a certain size occurring in the closed part 60 are detected by the light intensity sensor 22. The combustion oxygen requirement may be experimentally determined in advance depending on the size and material of the closed part 60 and stored in a memory unit of the controller 50.

[0077] When the valve 42 is opened under the control of the controller 50, the gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen in the gas tank 40 can be supplied through the gas supply line 44 into the closed part 60.

[0078] Accordingly, in a case where the gas having a molecular weight larger than that of oxygen is supplied into the closed part 60, the oxygen in the closed part 60, such as a high-voltage battery, can be discharged to the outside through the oxygen discharge port 62 formed in a casing 61 of the closed part 60, or can be discharged to the outside through the check valve 63 provided in the oxygen discharge port 62, according to the above-mentioned Graham's law, for example, as shown in Fig. 4. This allows the amount of oxygen in the closed part 60 to be adjusted so that it is smaller than the combustion oxygen requirement.

[0079] In one embodiment, for example, it is possible to extinguish or prevent the vehicle fire early by adjusting the amount of oxygen in the closed part 60 to be less than the combustion oxygen requirement before the actual vehicle fire occurs in a state in which there is a high possibility of a fire occurring in the closed part 60.

[0080] The vehicle fire protection system according to one embodiment may further include an odor sensor 30 that detects odor in the interior of the vehicle and transmits a detection signal to the controller 50.

[0081] Accordingly, after the gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen in the gas tank 40 (for example, a mixture of carbon dioxide and an odor gas or an aroma gas, or a mixture of an inert gas and an odor gas or an aroma gas) is supplied into the closed part 60, in a case where an odor concentration indicated by the detection signal received from the odor sensor 30 is less than a reference value, the controller 50 may determine that the current amount of oxygen in the closed part 60 is equal to or greater than the predetermined combustion oxygen demand, and may perform control to maintain an open state of the valve 42 attached to the outlet of the gas tank 40.

[0082] On the other hand, after the gas whose molecular weight is larger than that of the oxygen in the gas tank 40 (for example, a mixture of carbon dioxide and an odorous gas or an aromatic gas, or a mixture of an inert gas and an odorous gas or an aromatic gas) is supplied into the closed part 60, when the odor concentration indicated by the detection signal received from the odor sensor 30 is equal to or greater than the reference value, the controller 50 may determine that the current amount of oxygen in the closed part 60 is less than the selected, set, preset, or predetermined threshold value for the combustion oxygen demand, and may perform control to close the valve 42 attached to the outlet of the gas tank 40.

[0083] The controller 50 may be configured to perform the control to close the valve 42 and simultaneously actuate a visual and / or audible alarm device mounted in the vehicle.

[0084] In one embodiment, the odor sensor can be used to determine whether the current oxygen level in the closed part 60 is equal to, greater than, or less than the preset combustion oxygen requirement in the closed part 60, and since the current oxygen level in the interior of the vehicle is set to be less than the combustion oxygen requirement, occupants or bystanders outside the vehicle, for example, can use the alarm of the alarm device to assure themselves that there is no fire hazard.

[0085] The following describes a vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which is based on the implementation of one, both, each, or any combination of the embodiments described above.

[0086] Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are flowcharts illustrating a vehicle fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0087] First, a current amount of oxygen in the interior of a vehicle or in a closed part 60 of the vehicle can be detected (process S101).

[0088] The current amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle or in the closed part 60 can be detected by a gas sensor 10 which is mounted in the interior of the vehicle or in the closed part 60.

[0089] The possibility of a fire occurring in the interior of the vehicle or in the closed part 60 can be detected (process S102).

[0090] The possibility of a fire occurring in the interior of the vehicle or in the closed part 60 can be detected by a fire detector 20.

[0091] For example, detecting the possibility of a fire occurring in the vehicle may include detecting the temperature of the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part 60 by a temperature sensor 21, which is an example of the fire detector 20, and / or detecting a light intensity of the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part 60 by a light intensity sensor 22, which is another example of the fire detector 20.

[0092] Then, it is determined whether the current temperature of the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60 is equal to or higher than a reference temperature (process S103) and / or whether the light intensity of the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60 is equal to or higher than a certain value (process S104).

[0093] For example, in a case where the controller 50 receives the detection signal from the temperature sensor 21 indicating that the current temperature of the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part 60 is equal to or higher than a preset, selected, or predetermined threshold of the reference temperature at which there is a high fire risk, the controller 50 may determine that there is a fire risk in the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part 60.

[0094] Alternatively or additionally, in a case where the controller 50 receives the detection signal from the light sensor 22 indicating that sparks or flames of a certain size are emerging from the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part 60, the controller 50 may determine that there is a possibility of a fire in the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part 60.

[0095] In a case where the current temperature of the interior of the vehicle or the closed enclosure 60 is equal to or higher than the reference temperature and / or the light intensity of the interior of the vehicle or the closed enclosure 60 is equal to or higher than a certain value, the controller 50 may compare the current amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle or the closed enclosure 60 with a selected, set, preset, or predetermined threshold for the combustion oxygen demand of the interior of the vehicle or the closed enclosure 60 (operation S105).

[0096] As a result of the comparison, in a case where the current oxygen amount is larger than the combustion oxygen demand, the valve may be opened under the control of the controller to supply the gas having the molecular weight larger than that of the oxygen in the gas tank into the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60 (process S106).

[0097] Accordingly, the gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen filled in the gas tank 40 can be supplied to the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60 via the gas supply line 44 (process S107).

[0098] Accordingly, the oxygen in the interior of the vehicle or in the closed part 60 can be discharged to the outside by the gas whose molecular weight is larger than that of the oxygen supplied into the interior of the vehicle or in the closed part 60 (process S108).

[0099] Particularly, in a case where the gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen is supplied into the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60, the oxygen in the interior of the vehicle may leak to the outside, for example, through door gaps according to the above-mentioned Graham's law, as shown in the Fig. 2 and Fig. 4, or the oxygen in the closed part 60 of the vehicle can escape to the outside from the housing of the closed part 60, so that in one embodiment it is possible to adjust the amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle or in the closed part 60 such that it is less than the combustion oxygen requirement.

[0100] By adjusting the amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle or in the closed part 60 to be less than the combustion oxygen requirement before the actual vehicle fire occurs in a state where the possibility of occurrence of a fire in the interior of the vehicle is high, it is possible in one embodiment to extinguish or prevent the vehicle fire at an early stage.

[0101] After the gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen in the gas tank 40 is supplied into the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60, the detection of odor in the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60 can be further performed (process S109).

[0102] After the gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen in the gas tank 40 is supplied into the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60, detection of odor in the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60 can be performed by the odor sensor 30 and transmission of a detection signal to the controller 50.

[0103] In a case where a mixture of carbon dioxide and an odor gas or an aroma gas or a mixture of an inert gas and an odor gas or an aroma gas is supplied into the interior of the vehicle or into the closed part 60 as a gas having a molecular weight larger than that of oxygen, the odor detection can be performed by the odor sensor 30.

[0104] Subsequently, the controller 50 can compare an odor concentration detected by the odor sensor 30 with a reference value (process S110).

[0105] As a result of the comparison, in a case where the odor concentration detected by the odor sensor 30 is smaller than a reference value, the controller 50 may perform control to maintain an open state of the valve 42 of the gas tank 40 (process S111).

[0106] Specifically, in a case where the odor concentration indicated by the detection signal of the odor sensor 30 after the gas having the molecular weight larger than that of oxygen in the gas tank 40 is supplied into the vehicle interior or the enclosed part 60 is smaller than the reference value, the controller 50 may determine that the current amount of oxygen in the vehicle interior or the enclosed part 60 is equal to or greater than the selected, set, preset, or predetermined combustion oxygen demand threshold value for the vehicle interior or the enclosed part 60, and perform control to maintain the opening state of the valve 42 of the gas tank 40.

[0107] Accordingly, the gas having the molecular weight larger than that of the oxygen in the gas tank 40 can be continuously supplied into the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60 until the actual amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60 becomes smaller than the predetermined combustion oxygen demand (process S113).

[0108] On the other hand, in a case where the odor concentration detected by the odor sensor is equal to or higher than the reference value, the controller 50 may perform control to close the valve 42 (process S112).

[0109] Specifically, in a case where the odor concentration indicated by the detection signal of the odor sensor 30 after the gas having the molecular weight greater than that of oxygen in the gas tank 40 is supplied into the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part 60 is equal to or higher than the reference value, the controller 50 may determine that the current amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part 60 is less than the selected, set, preset, or predetermined combustion oxygen demand threshold value for the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part 60, and perform control to close the valve 42 of the gas tank 40.

[0110] In addition, in a case where the current oxygen amount in the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60 becomes smaller than the combustion oxygen demand, an alarm may be sent to indicate that the current oxygen amount in the interior of the vehicle or the closed part 60 has become smaller than the combustion oxygen demand (process S114).

[0111] In a case where the current amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle or in the closed part 60 becomes less than the combustion oxygen requirement, the controller 50 can control the closing of the valve 42 and simultaneously actuate a visual and audible alarm device mounted in the vehicle.

[0112] With one embodiment, the odor sensor 30 can be used to determine whether the current oxygen level in the closed part 60 is equal to, greater than, or less than the preset combustion oxygen requirement, and since the current oxygen level in the interior of the vehicle is set to be less than the combustion oxygen requirement, for example, occupants or bystanders outside the vehicle can assure themselves that there is no fire hazard by means of an alarm from the alarm device.

[0113] Accordingly, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide the following advantages.

[0114] First, in one embodiment, in a case where the possibility of a vehicle fire is detected, it is possible to prevent a vehicle fire in advance by supplying a gas having a molecular weight greater than that of oxygen (for example, carbon dioxide, an inert gas used for fire fighting) into the interior of a vehicle, such as a passenger compartment and an engine compartment, and into a closed part of the vehicle, such as a high-voltage battery, to discharge oxygen in the interior of the vehicle and the closed part to the outside.

[0115] Secondly, in one embodiment, it is possible to extinguish or prevent a vehicle fire at an early stage by adjusting the amount of oxygen in the interior of the vehicle and the enclosed part to be less than the combustion oxygen requirement.

[0116] Third, a fire protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied not only to vehicles but also to future means of transportation such as purpose-built vehicles (PBVs) and urban air mobility (UAMs) aircraft, robots, and ignition-prone parts used in various industrial sectors, for example, to avoid fire risks.

[0117] The present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to some embodiments thereof. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, the scope of which may be defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

[1] Vehicle fire protection system, comprising: a gas sensor configured to detect a current amount of oxygen in the interior of a vehicle or within an enclosed part of the vehicle; a fire detector designed to detect the possibility of a vehicle fire occurring; a gas tank fitted in the vehicle and filled with gas, which is designed to release oxygen contained in the interior or within the enclosed part to the outside of the vehicle; a valve connected to an outlet of the gas tank and configured to open or close the outlet of the gas tank; a gas supply line connected between the outlet of the gas tank and the interior of the vehicle or the enclosed part; and a controller configured to control the opening and closing of the valve based on a detection signal from the gas sensor and a detection signal from the fire detector. [2] The system of claim 1, wherein the interior of the vehicle comprises a passenger compartment or an engine compartment, and wherein the enclosed portion of the vehicle comprises a high-voltage battery or an electrical component. [3] The system of claim 1, wherein the fire detector comprises a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle. [4] The system of claim 1, wherein the fire detector comprises a light intensity sensor configured to detect a light intensity of the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle. [5] The system of claim 1, wherein the gas has a molecular weight greater than oxygen. [6] The system of claim 1, wherein the gas comprises one of or any combination of carbon dioxide, an inert gas, an odorous gas, and an aromatic gas, and wherein the gas has a molecular weight greater than oxygen. [7] The system of claim 1, wherein a housing of the closed part has an oxygen outlet opening configured to cause oxygen inside the closed part to be discharged to the outside of the vehicle in response to the supply of the gas into the closed part. [8] The system of claim 7, wherein a check valve configured to prevent backflow of external oxygen is mounted in the oxygen outlet port. [9] The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive the detection signal from the fire detector, compare the current oxygen quantity detected by the gas sensor with a combustion oxygen demand threshold for the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle, and, if the current oxygen quantity is greater than the combustion oxygen demand threshold, control an opening of the valve to supply the gas into the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle. [10] The system of claim 9, wherein the combustion oxygen demand threshold is set based on the size and material content of the interior of the vehicle or the size and material content of the enclosed part of the vehicle. [11] The system according to claim 1 further comprises an odor sensor configured to detect odor in the interior or in the closed part of the vehicle and to transmit a detection signal to the controller. [12] The system according to claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to determine, when an odor concentration indicated by the odor detection signal from the gas sensor after the gas is supplied into the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle is less than a reference odor value, that the current amount of oxygen in the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold value for the combustion oxygen demand for the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle, and to perform control to maintain an open state of the valve. [13] The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to determine, when an odor concentration indicated by the odor detection signal from the gas sensor after the gas is supplied into the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a reference odor value, that the current amount of oxygen in the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle is less than a threshold value for the combustion oxygen demand for the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle, and to perform a control to close the valve. [14] Vehicle fire protection system, comprising: Detecting a current amount of oxygen in the interior of a vehicle or within an enclosed part of the vehicle; Detecting the possibility of a vehicle fire occurring; Controlling the opening of a valve for an outlet of a gas tank based on detecting the current amount of oxygen and detecting the possibility of fire occurrence; Introducing a gas with a molecular weight higher than that of oxygen from the gas tank into the interior or enclosed part of the vehicle; and Release of oxygen from the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle to the outside of the vehicle through the gas. [15] The method of claim 14, wherein detecting the possibility of fire occurrence comprises detecting a temperature or a light intensity of the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle. [16] The method of claim 14, wherein the gas is one of or any combination of carbon dioxide, an inert gas, an odorous gas, and an aromatic gas. [17] The method of claim 14, further comprising: Receiving a detection signal from a fire detector; Comparing the currently detected amount of oxygen with a threshold value for the combustion oxygen demand for the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle; and when the current amount of oxygen is greater than the threshold for combustion oxygen demand, to control the opening of the valve to supply the gas. [18] The method of claim 14, further comprising: Detecting odors in the interior or enclosed part of the vehicle; and Transmitting an odor detection signal to a controller. [19] The method of claim 18, further comprising: Determining, after supplying the gas, when an odor concentration indicated by the odor detection signal is less than a reference odor value, that the current oxygen amount in the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold combustion oxygen demand for the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle; and performing control to maintain an open state of the valve of the gas tank. [20] The method of claim 18, further comprising: Determining, after supplying the gas, if an odor concentration indicated by the odor detection signal is equal to or greater than a reference odor value, that the current amount of oxygen in the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle is less than a threshold value for the combustion oxygen demand for the interior or the enclosed part of the vehicle; and Perform the control to close the gas tank valve.

Images