Fire extinguishing system of unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle fire extinguishing system. The system comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle end, a ground server end, a mixed liquid conveying pipeline and a gas conveying pipeline, wherein the mixed liquid conveying pipeline and the gas conveying pipeline are connected between the unmanned aerial vehicle end and the ground server end; the ground server is used for mixing water and the fire extinguishing foam stock solution into a mixed solution according to a preset proportion, conveying the mixed solution to the unmanned aerial vehicle end along a mixed solution conveying pipeline, and conveying air to the unmanned aerial vehicle end along an air conveying pipeline; and the unmanned aerial vehicle end is used for converging the mixed liquid and air into fire extinguishing foam and spraying the fire extinguishing foam to an ignition point. The fire extinguishing foam is formed by converging at the unmanned aerial vehicle end, so that the fire extinguishing foam in a pipeline can be prevented from being broken or compressed when the unmanned aerial vehicle conveys the fire extinguishing foam, the effective spraying distance of foam liquid at a nozzle of the unmanned aerial vehicle is guaranteed, and the preset fire extinguishing effect is further guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, specifically to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fire extinguishing system. Background Technology

[0002] High-rise fire-fighting drone systems offer the following advantages in high-rise fire suppression: they are suitable for extinguishing fires at greater heights (e.g., heights that aerial ladder trucks cannot or find difficult to reach); the drones can suspend hoses below them, with fire nozzles aimed at the fire point; after takeoff, the drones deliver different extinguishing agents to the high altitude via the hoses, ensuring precise fire suppression; furthermore, high-rise fire-fighting drones primarily use compressed air foam extinguishing agents, which are highly efficient but have a low density, making them suitable for close-range fire suppression scenarios.

[0003] However, existing drone-based high-rise fire suppression systems require mixing foam liquid and air to form fire extinguishing foam, which is then delivered to the drone through pipelines and sprayed from the drone to the fire location. This method has the following problems in practical use: During the delivery of fire extinguishing foam through pipelines, the pipeline pressure increases with the fire extinguishing altitude, causing the foam within the pipeline to rupture or be compressed. This reduces the pressure in the delivery pipeline, resulting in a shorter effective spray distance of the foam liquid at the drone nozzle, failing to achieve the preset fire extinguishing effect. Furthermore, foam rupture or compression increases the actual weight of the mixture in the pipeline, increasing the drone's load and further reducing the effective spray distance at the nozzle. To reduce foam rupture and compression within the pipeline, the pipeline diameter needs to be increased. However, increasing the pipeline diameter leads to a significant pressure loss in the delivery pipeline, resulting in a shorter effective spray distance of the foam liquid at the drone nozzle. Increasing the pipeline diameter also increases the drone's load, reducing the drone's fire extinguishing altitude. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a drone fire extinguishing system to solve problems such as the inability to achieve the preset fire extinguishing effect when delivering fire extinguishing foam to drones due to the rupture or compression of the fire extinguishing foam in the pipeline, the increased drone load, the short effective spray distance of the foam liquid at the drone nozzle, and the increased drone load and reduced drone fire extinguishing height caused by increasing the pipeline diameter.

[0005] To solve or partially solve the above-mentioned technical problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, a drone fire extinguishing system is provided, the system comprising a drone terminal and a ground service terminal, and a mixture delivery pipeline and a gas delivery pipeline respectively connected between the drone terminal and the ground service terminal; The ground service terminal is used to mix water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate in a preset ratio to form a mixture, and to transport the mixture to the drone terminal along the mixture delivery pipeline, and to transport air to the drone terminal along the air delivery pipeline; The drone end is used to combine the mixture and the air into fire extinguishing foam, and spray the fire extinguishing foam to the ignition point.

[0006] In one embodiment, the ground service terminal includes a fire extinguishing foam concentrate storage tank and a water supply unit, wherein water from the water supply unit and fire extinguishing foam concentrate from the fire extinguishing foam concentrate storage tank are mixed in a preset ratio to form the mixture.

[0007] In one embodiment, the ground service terminal includes a mixing tank in which water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate are mixed in a preset ratio to form a mixture.

[0008] In one embodiment, the water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate are mixed in the mixed liquid delivery pipeline according to a preset ratio to form a mixed liquid.

[0009] In one embodiment, the water supply unit is equipped with a first flow control valve, and the external pipeline of the fire extinguishing foam concentrate storage tank is equipped with a second flow control valve. The first flow control valve and the second flow control valve are used to control the water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate to reach the preset ratio.

[0010] In one embodiment, the drone end includes a gas-liquid mixing chamber, in which the mixture and the gas form the fire-extinguishing foam.

[0011] In one embodiment, the ground service terminal is equipped with an air pump for pressure regulation to control the pressure in the gas pipeline and the pressure reaching the gas-liquid mixing chamber.

[0012] In one embodiment, the end of the mixture delivery pipeline connected to the drone is equipped with a proportional valve for adjusting the gas-liquid foaming ratio, which is used to make the fire extinguishing foam reach a preset fire extinguishing state.

[0013] In one embodiment, the two ends of the mixture delivery pipeline are provided with plug-in connectors for connecting or disconnecting the mixture delivery pipeline from the UAV terminal and the ground service terminal.

[0014] In one embodiment, the drone terminal is a drone, and the ground service terminal is a fire truck used in conjunction with the drone.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: The drone fire extinguishing system provided by this invention includes a drone terminal and a ground service terminal, with a liquid delivery pipeline and an air delivery pipeline respectively connected between the drone terminal and the ground service terminal; the ground service terminal is used to mix water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate in a preset ratio to form a liquid mixture, and to deliver the liquid mixture to the drone terminal along the liquid delivery pipeline, and to deliver air to the drone terminal along the air delivery pipeline; the drone terminal is used to combine the liquid mixture and air into fire extinguishing foam, and to spray the fire extinguishing foam to the fire point. This drone-based fire suppression system mixes water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate at the ground service terminal, then delivers the mixture along with air to the drone to form fire extinguishing foam, which is then sprayed onto the fire. Because the fire extinguishing foam is formed at the drone's end, it avoids the problem of foam rupture or compression in the pipeline during delivery (due to increased pipeline pressure with increasing fire extinguishing altitude). This ensures the effective spray distance of the foam at the drone's nozzle, thus guaranteeing the preset fire extinguishing effect. Furthermore, the system prevents an increase in the actual weight of the mixture in the pipeline due to foam rupture or compression, thus avoiding increased drone load. Additionally, the system eliminates the need to increase the pipeline diameter during delivery, preventing pressure loss in the delivery pipeline, maintaining the effective spray distance of the foam at the drone's nozzle, and not affecting the drone's fire extinguishing altitude. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the drone firefighting system provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a full understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of this application; therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0018] To address issues arising from drone-based firefighting scenarios, such as the failure to achieve the intended firefighting effect due to foam rupture or compression within the pipeline, increased drone load, shortened effective spray distance of the foam at the drone nozzle, and increased drone load and reduced firefighting altitude caused by increasing the pipeline diameter for foam delivery, this application provides a drone-based firefighting system. The following embodiments provide a detailed description of this system.

[0019] This application provides an embodiment of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) firefighting system. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) firefighting system provided in an embodiment of this application. The following is in conjunction with... Figure 1 The drone firefighting system provided in this embodiment will be described in detail. The embodiments described below are used to explain the principle of the method and are not intended to limit actual use.

[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, the drone fire extinguishing system provided in this embodiment includes a drone terminal 100 and a ground service terminal 200, as well as a liquid delivery pipeline 300 and an air delivery pipeline 400 connected between the drone terminal 100 and the ground service terminal 200, respectively. The ground service terminal 200 is used to mix water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate in a preset ratio to form a liquid mixture, and deliver the liquid mixture to the drone terminal 100 along the liquid delivery pipeline 300, and deliver air to the drone terminal 100 along the air delivery pipeline 400. The drone terminal 100 is used to combine the liquid mixture and air into fire extinguishing foam, and spray the fire extinguishing foam to the fire point.

[0021] In this embodiment, the UAV terminal includes a gas-liquid mixing chamber, where the liquid and gas fully combine to form fire-extinguishing foam. Furthermore, the ground service terminal can be equipped with an air pump for pressure regulation to control the pressure in the gas delivery pipeline and the pressure reaching the gas-liquid mixing chamber. That is, the ground service terminal continuously prepares the liquid mixture and delivers air; the two media arrive at the gas-liquid mixing chamber on the UAV terminal via pipelines and fuse, generating fire-extinguishing foam that directly acts on the fire source. The air pump's pressure regulation function provides a stable pressure guarantee for air supply and foam generation, ensuring the fire-extinguishing system operates efficiently and reliably during the fire-extinguishing process.

[0022] The ground service terminal has functions for preparing and transporting the mixture, as well as supplying air. During mixture preparation and transport, the ground service terminal can preset the mixing ratio of water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate according to the fire type (such as solid combustible fire or liquid combustible fire) and the foam concentrate type, and mix them evenly. Then, the prepared mixture is stably transported to the drone terminal through the mixture transport pipeline. During air supply, the air pump equipped on the ground service terminal can not only continuously transport air to the drone terminal along the air supply pipeline, but also adjust the air supply pressure in real time by controlling the output power of the air pump. This ensures that the pressure in the air supply pipeline is stable (avoiding air supply interruption due to excessively low pressure or damage to the pipeline due to excessively high pressure), and can accurately control the air pressure reaching the drone terminal, providing suitable air pressure conditions for subsequent foam generation.

[0023] The drone-based terminal is responsible for generating and spraying the fire-extinguishing foam. To ensure the mixture of liquid and air can fully combine and generate fire-extinguishing foam that meets the fire-extinguishing requirements, the drone's gas-liquid mixing chamber can be equipped with baffles, multi-hole nozzles, and other structures. When the liquid mixture and air from the ground enter the gas-liquid mixing chamber, the aforementioned structures within the chamber promote thorough collision and agitation between the liquid and air. This causes the air to be evenly dispersed in the mixture in the form of tiny bubbles, forming fire-extinguishing foam with high coverage and strong adhesion. Furthermore, the generated fire-extinguishing foam can be precisely sprayed onto the fire point through the spraying device (such as an adjustable-angle nozzle) mounted on the drone, utilizing the dual effects of foam coverage to isolate oxygen and cooling to extinguish the fire.

[0024] In this embodiment, as Figure 1 As shown, the drone terminal is a drone, and the ground service terminal is a fire truck used in conjunction with the drone.

[0025] In this embodiment, the ground service unit includes a fire extinguishing foam concentrate storage tank and a water supply unit. Water from the water supply unit and fire extinguishing foam concentrate from the fire extinguishing foam concentrate storage tank are mixed in a preset ratio to form a mixture. The water supply unit is equipped with a first flow control valve, and the external pipeline of the fire extinguishing foam concentrate storage tank is equipped with a second flow control valve. The first and second flow control valves are used to control the water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate to reach a preset ratio, so that the mixture can form fire extinguishing foam that meets the fire extinguishing requirements after mixing with air.

[0026] In this embodiment, the ground service terminal is equipped with a mixing tank, in which water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate can be mixed into a mixture according to a preset ratio.

[0027] In another embodiment, water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate can be mixed in a preset ratio in a mixed liquid delivery pipeline. That is, instead of setting up the above-mentioned mixing tank at the ground service end, water from the water supply unit and fire extinguishing foam concentrate from the fire extinguishing foam concentrate storage tank are directly introduced into the mixed liquid delivery pipeline and fully mixed during the transportation process in the mixed liquid delivery pipeline.

[0028] In this embodiment, a proportional valve is installed at one end of the liquid mixture delivery pipeline connected to the drone to adjust the gas-liquid foaming ratio according to the fire type, so as to ensure that the fire extinguishing foam reaches the preset fire extinguishing state. Specifically, the proportional valve can be set at the connection between the liquid mixture delivery pipeline and the drone to precisely control the gas-liquid foaming ratio and ensure that the fire extinguishing foam reaches the preset fire extinguishing state. It indirectly controls the ratio of liquid mixture to air in the gas-liquid mixing chamber by adjusting the delivery flow rate of the liquid mixture, thereby changing the foaming ratio of the fire extinguishing foam. The expansion ratio is a key indicator for measuring the fire extinguishing effectiveness of foam. It represents the volume of foam generated per unit volume of the mixture (e.g., a 10-fold expansion ratio means 1L of mixture produces 10L of foam). Different fire scenarios have significantly different requirements for the expansion ratio. For example, when extinguishing fires involving solid combustibles (such as wood or fabric fires), high-expansion foam is needed to quickly envelop the fire source and isolate oxygen due to its lightweight and large coverage area. Conversely, when extinguishing fires involving oil or other liquids, low-expansion foam is required to form a dense covering layer on the liquid surface, preventing reignition, thanks to its high density and strong adhesion. Proportional valves provide basic adjustment support for different expansion ratio requirements by precisely controlling the delivery volume of the mixture. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the proportional valve also has dynamic adjustment and stability assurance capabilities. For example, during the fire extinguishing process, if the pressure of the mixed liquid delivery fluctuates due to the drone's flight attitude adjustment (such as tilting or ascending), or if the pressure of the air pump changes, the proportional valve can receive the pressure feedback signal of the gas-liquid mixing chamber in real time, quickly adjust the valve core opening, compensate for the mixed liquid flow deviation, and ensure that the gas-liquid ratio is always stable within the preset range, so as to avoid the fire extinguishing effect being affected by abnormal foaming ratio (such as foam that is too thin and easily breaks, or foam that is too thick and difficult to spray).

[0029] In this embodiment, in order to meet the emergency deployment needs at the fire scene, plug-in connectors are provided at both ends of the mixed liquid delivery pipeline to facilitate connecting or disconnecting the mixed liquid delivery pipeline from the drone terminal and the ground service terminal.

[0030] Existing drone-based high-rise fire suppression technology generates fire extinguishing foam on the ground and delivers it to the drone. To achieve the preset fire extinguishing effect, higher pressure is required to make the fire extinguishing foam spray further at the spray gun. However, excessive pressure will compress the foam, causing it to rupture or be compressed in volume, thus failing to achieve the preset fire extinguishing effect. This embodiment mixes water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate at the ground service terminal, then delivers the mixture and air to the drone terminal to form fire extinguishing foam, which is then sprayed onto the fire point. Because the fire extinguishing foam is formed at the drone terminal, it avoids the rupture or compression of the foam in the pipeline during delivery (due to increased pipeline pressure with increasing fire extinguishing altitude). This ensures the effective spray distance of the foam at the drone nozzle, thereby guaranteeing the preset fire extinguishing effect. Furthermore, the actual weight of the mixture in the pipeline does not increase due to foam rupture or compression, thus avoiding increased drone load. Additionally, there is no need to increase the pipeline diameter during delivery, preventing pressure loss in the delivery pipeline and maintaining the effective spray distance of the foam at the drone nozzle. Since it does not increase the drone load, it also does not affect the drone's fire extinguishing altitude.

[0031] Although this application discloses preferred embodiments as described above, it is not intended to limit this application. Any person skilled in the art can make possible changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope defined in the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A drone firefighting system, characterized in that, The system includes a drone terminal and a ground service terminal, with a liquid delivery pipeline and a gas delivery pipeline respectively connected between the drone terminal and the ground service terminal; The ground service terminal is used to mix water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate in a preset ratio to form a mixture, and to transport the mixture to the drone terminal along the mixture delivery pipeline, and to transport air to the drone terminal along the air delivery pipeline; The drone end is used to combine the mixture and the air into fire extinguishing foam, and spray the fire extinguishing foam to the ignition point.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ground service terminal includes a fire extinguishing foam concentrate storage tank and a water supply unit. Water from the water supply unit and fire extinguishing foam concentrate from the fire extinguishing foam concentrate storage tank are mixed in a preset ratio to form the mixture.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The ground service terminal includes a mixing tank, in which water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate are mixed in a preset ratio to form a mixture.

4. The system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate are mixed in a preset ratio in the mixed liquid delivery pipeline to form a mixed liquid.

5. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The water supply unit is equipped with a first flow control valve, and the external pipeline of the fire extinguishing foam concentrate storage tank is equipped with a second flow control valve. The first flow control valve and the second flow control valve are used to control the water and fire extinguishing foam concentrate to reach the preset ratio.

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drone terminal includes a gas-liquid mixing chamber, in which the mixed liquid and the gas form the fire extinguishing foam.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The ground service terminal is equipped with an air pump for pressure regulation to control the pressure in the gas pipeline and the pressure reaching the gas-liquid mixing chamber.

8. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The end of the mixed liquid delivery pipeline connected to the drone is equipped with a proportional valve for adjusting the gas-liquid foaming ratio, which is used to make the fire extinguishing foam reach the preset fire extinguishing state.

9. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mixing liquid delivery pipeline is equipped with plug-in connectors at both ends for connecting or disconnecting the mixing liquid delivery pipeline from the UAV terminal and the ground service terminal.

10. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drone terminal is a drone, and the ground service terminal is a fire truck used in conjunction with the drone.

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