A tethered recoil lift fire extinguishing unmanned aerial vehicle system

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of firefighting technology and discloses a tethered recoil lift firefighting drone system. The system includes a drone body, which comprises a frame, a recoil nozzle assembly mounted on the frame, and fire extinguishing nozzles. The recoil lift generated when fire extinguishing water, transmitted through a tethered cable unit, is sprayed downwards from the recoil nozzle assembly serves as one source of the drone's levitation lift. The fire extinguishing nozzles spray towards the fire source and are unaffected by the downward spray from the recoil nozzle assembly. This invention solves the technical problem of traditional tethered drones operating at high altitudes for firefighting, where the lift system and fire extinguishing system are independent, requiring high-power motors and heavy rotors, resulting in large size, heavy weight, and high cost. This invention uses the fire extinguishing nozzle assembly to spray water towards the fire source while simultaneously using the recoil nozzle assembly to spray water downwards, generating recoil lift to provide levitation lift for the drone.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fire fighting technology, and in particular to a tethered recoil lift fire-fighting unmanned aerial vehicle system. Background Technology

[0002] Fighting fires in high-rise buildings is a major challenge in the current fire and rescue field. As building heights continue to exceed 100 meters or even 300 meters, the limitations of traditional firefighting equipment are becoming increasingly apparent. The maximum lifting height of fire ladder trucks is usually no more than 100 meters, and they are limited by the operating space around the building. High-pressure water cannons are limited by water pressure and the position of the operators, and their effective range can only cover the lower floors. Traditional unmanned helicopters or multi-rotor drones, although they have vertical take-off and landing and hovering capabilities, are limited by battery energy density and motor power, and their payload and endurance are difficult to meet the needs of continuous firefighting operations.

[0003] In recent years, the development of tethered drone technology has provided new ideas for high-rise firefighting. Tethered drones are continuously powered by ground cables, enabling long-duration flight and the ability to tow fire hoses, delivering firefighting water supplied by ground fire pumps to high-altitude spraying. Currently, existing tethered firefighting drone systems generally employ multi-rotor structures, relying on multiple motors to drive propellers and generate lift. However, analysis has revealed that the lift system and firefighting system of existing tethered drones are independent. The lift required by the drone is entirely provided by the rotors, while the firefighting water, after being delivered to the drone via hose, is only used for spraying. The kinetic energy and recoil potential energy carried by the water flow are wasted, and even considered as interference forces that need to be counteracted. This "water supply only for firefighting, lift entirely from the rotors" model results in the underutilization of the high-pressure energy output from ground fire pumps. Large-payload tethered drones require high-power motors and heavy rotors, leading to large size, weight, and high cost. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to solve the technical problems of traditional tethered drones operating in high-altitude firefighting operations, where the lift system and firefighting system are independent, requiring high-power motors and heavy rotors, resulting in large size, heavy weight, and high cost. To address this, a tethered recoil lift firefighting drone system is provided. Specifically, a ground water pump drives water flow through a tethered hose to the drone, where firefighting nozzles spray water at the fire source to extinguish the fire. Simultaneously, recoil nozzles spray water downwards to generate recoil lift, providing levitation lift for the drone.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the embodiments of the present invention provide the following technical solutions:

[0006] A tethered recoil lift firefighting drone system includes a drone body connected to a ground water supply unit via a tethered cable unit. The drone body includes a frame, a recoil nozzle assembly mounted on the frame, and fire extinguishing nozzles. The recoil lift generated when fire extinguishing water transmitted through the tethered cable unit is sprayed downwards from the recoil nozzle assembly serves as one of the sources of the drone body's levitation. The fire extinguishing nozzles spray in a direction towards the fire source, unaffected by the downward spray of the recoil nozzle assembly.

[0007] The recoil lift generated when the recoil nozzle assembly sprays downwards is ,in Let Q be the density of water. lift For lift flow, v lift The velocity of the water jet sprayed downwards from the recoil nozzle assembly relative to the drone body.

[0008] Furthermore, the recoil nozzle assembly includes multiple nozzles with a downward spray direction, and the nozzle outlet diameter is adjustable to change the velocity v of the sprayed water flow. lift and lift flow rate Q lift This allows for the adjustment of the magnitude of the recoil lift F.

[0009] Furthermore, the drone body also includes an attitude adjustment device, which includes a flow regulating valve for changing the jet flow distribution of each nozzle to generate differential recoil lift to control the drone body.

[0010] Furthermore, the number of nozzles is even, and they are symmetrically arranged below the drone body to balance the levitation force experienced by the drone when the nozzles spray downwards.

[0011] Furthermore, the ground water supply unit includes a fire pump, the total flow rate Q output by the fire pump is... total =Q fire +Q lift Q fire Firefighting flow rate;

[0012] Lift flow rate meets Where G is the total weight of the UAV body and the tether cable unit, and g is the gravitational acceleration; as the UAV body rises, the weight of the tether cable unit increases.

[0013] When the drone body needs to hover or rise, F ≥ G must be satisfied.

[0014] Furthermore, the tethered cable unit includes a water supply cable and a power cable; the power cable is used to transmit power to the UAV body; one end of the water supply cable is connected to a fire pump, and the other end is connected to the UAV body, for delivering fire-fighting water.

[0015] Furthermore, the outlet pressure P of the fire pump pump The relationship between the altitude H of the drone and the flight altitude of the drone body is as follows:

[0016]

[0017] Among them, v pipe For the flow velocity within the water supply pipeline, there is D is the inner diameter of the water supply cable; f is the coefficient of friction of the water hose; L is the length of the water supply cable; H is the flight altitude of the UAV.

[0018] Furthermore, by monitoring the flight altitude H in real time through the control system, a closed-loop PID algorithm is used to automatically adjust the outlet pressure P of the fire pump. pump This is to maintain a dynamic balance between the recoil lift F and the total weight G.

[0019] Furthermore, the ground water supply unit also includes an automatic pipeline retraction device for automatically retracting and extending water supply cables and power cables during the take-off and landing of the UAV.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The present invention provides a tethered recoil lift fire extinguishing drone system, which aims to provide the drone with levitation lift by utilizing the recoil lift generated by the downward jet flow of the recoil nozzle assembly. At the same time, an auxiliary rotor system is set up to provide lift redundancy and attitude assistance. The recoil nozzle assembly is set separately from the fire extinguishing nozzle, and the water supply cable and power cable are integrated into a design, thereby simplifying the drone structure, reducing its weight, improving energy utilization efficiency and system safety, and realizing efficient fire extinguishing operations suitable for super high-rise buildings. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall working principle of the tethered recoil lift firefighting drone system of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a top-view structural diagram of the UAV body of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a side view structural diagram of the UAV body of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a front view structural diagram of the UAV body of the present invention.

[0026] Figure Labels

[0027] 1-Ground water supply unit; 11-Fire pump; 12-Control system; 13-Automatic pipeline retraction and deployment device; 2-Tethered cable unit; 21-Water supply cable; 22-Power cable; 3-UAV body; 31-Frame; 32-Water inlet interface; 33-Recoil nozzle assembly; 331-Nozzle; 34-Flow regulating valve; 35-Fire extinguishing nozzle; 36-Auxiliary rotor; 37-Fire source positioning device; 38-Environmental perception sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures. Furthermore, in the description of this invention, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only for distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or suggesting any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Additionally, the terms "connected," "linked," etc., can refer to a direct connection between elements, components, modules, etc., or an indirect connection via other elements, components, modules, etc.

[0030] Example 1:

[0031] This invention is achieved through the following technical solution: a tethered recoil lift firefighting drone system, comprising a drone body 3, which is connected to a ground water supply unit 1 via a tethered cable unit 2. Figure 1 As shown, the ground water supply unit 1 includes a fire pump 11, which pressurizes the fire extinguishing water and then delivers it to the UAV body 3 through the water inlet 32 ​​on the UAV body 3 via the tethered cable unit 2.

[0032] like Figure 1As shown, the tethered cable unit 2 includes a water supply cable 21 and a power cable 22. The power cable 22 is used to transmit power to the UAV body 3, and one end of the water supply cable 21 is connected to a fire pump, while the other end is connected to the UAV body 3, used to deliver fire-fighting water. The ground water supply unit 1 also includes an automatic cable retraction device 13, used to automatically retract and extend the water supply cable 21 and power cable 22 during the UAV body 3's ascent and descent. The water supply cable 21 has a composite cable structure, including an inner fire hose and an outer braided tensile layer. The inner fire hose is used to deliver fire-fighting water, and the outer braided tensile layer is used to withstand the tensile load when the UAV body 3 takes off. The inner diameter and pressure rating of the water supply cable 21 are determined according to the designed flight altitude, and can meet the water supply needs at altitudes above 200 meters. The mooring cable unit 2 can be made in different lengths, such as 100 meters, 150 meters, 200 meters, 250 meters, and 300 meters. Depending on the fire extinguishing height requirements, different lengths of pipe racks can be installed to prevent the pipes from getting tangled or knotted.

[0033] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the UAV body 3 includes a frame 31, a recoil nozzle assembly 33 mounted on the frame, and fire extinguishing nozzles 35. The recoil nozzle assembly 33 includes multiple nozzles 331 with a downward spray direction. The recoil lift generated when fire extinguishing water transmitted through the tethered cable unit 2 is sprayed downward at high speed from the nozzles 331 serves as one source of the UAV's levitation lift. The nozzles 331 adopt an adjustable nozzle structure, and the nozzle outlet diameter can be adjusted to change the speed and flow rate of the sprayed water, thereby adjusting the magnitude of the recoil lift.

[0034] The second source of lift for the drone is the auxiliary rotor 36, which provides the main lift during takeoff and landing, and offers attitude fine-tuning and emergency backup during hovering firefighting, thus creating lift redundancy. The auxiliary rotor 36 is mounted on the frame and comprises multiple small rotors arranged symmetrically. When the recoil nozzle assembly 33 fails due to a water supply malfunction, the auxiliary rotor 36 automatically activates and provides sufficient lift to ensure the safe landing of the drone body 3, thus providing lift redundancy protection.

[0035] In a straightforward manner, on the drone body 3, the fire extinguishing nozzle 35 and the recoil nozzle assembly 33 are separately configured. The spray direction of the fire extinguishing nozzle 35 is towards the fire source and is not affected by the downward spray direction of the recoil nozzle assembly 33. The fire extinguishing nozzle 35 is located at the front end of the frame or arranged around it, separately from the recoil nozzle assembly 33, and is used to independently spray fire extinguishing water towards the fire source to achieve fire extinguishing operations. The water supply for the fire extinguishing nozzle 35 is split from the same water inlet, and its spray direction can be independently adjusted according to the location of the fire source, without being constrained by the downward spray direction of the recoil nozzle assembly 33.

[0036] Preferably, the number of nozzles 331 is even, and they are symmetrically arranged below the UAV body 3, so that the levitation force experienced by the UAV is balanced when the nozzles 331 spray downwards.

[0037] Furthermore, the drone body 3 also includes an attitude adjustment device, which includes a flow regulating valve 34 for changing the jet flow distribution of each nozzle 331 to generate differential recoil lift to control the drone body. For example, by lowering the jet flow of the nozzle 331 located at the front of the drone body 3 and increasing the jet flow of the nozzle 331 located at the rear, the drone body 3 can tilt or move forward.

[0038] Since the fire-fighting water from fire pump 11 is used for fire extinguishing and lift, the total flow rate Q of fire pump 11 can be... total Divided into fire extinguishing flow rate Q fire and lift flow rate Q lift Among them, the lift flow rate satisfies G is the total weight of the UAV body 3 and the tethered cable unit 2, and g is the acceleration due to gravity. Let v be the density of water. lift The velocity of the water jet sprayed downwards from the recoil nozzle assembly 33 relative to the drone body; extinguishing flow rate Q fire It can be adjusted independently according to the fire intensity. Therefore, if the fire is large, the total flow rate Q of fire pump 11 needs to be increased. total .

[0039] Let G be the total weight of the UAV body 3 and the tethered cable unit 2, and let G be the recoil lift generated when the recoil nozzle assembly 33 sprays downwards. ,in Let F be the mass of water jetted by the recoil nozzle group 33 per unit time. If the UAV body 3 is to hover or rise, then F ≥ G must be satisfied.

[0040] The outlet pressure P of fire pump 11 pump The relationship between the altitude H of the UAV body 3 and the flight altitude H is as follows:

[0041]

[0042] Among them, v pipe For the flow velocity within the water supply pipe 21, there is D is the inner diameter of the water supply cable 21; f is the friction coefficient of the water hose, ranging from 0.02 to 0.03; L is the length of the water supply cable 21. ρ is the density of water; g is the acceleration due to gravity; H is the flight altitude of the UAV body 3.

[0043] When the drone body needs to rise, the recoil lift F needs to be increased, which means the v needs to be increased. lift and Qlift By increasing the outlet pressure P of fire pump 11 pump That can be achieved. pump When Q increases, total Increase the flow rate Q of the extinguishing nozzle (35). fire If it remains unchanged or increases only slightly, then Q can be made lift Increase; Q total As it increases, v pipe It also increases, due to v pipe =v lift +v fire If the spray velocity v of the fire extinguishing nozzle is 35 fire If it remains unchanged or increases only slightly, then v can be made lift Increase; when Q lift and / or v lift When the value is increased, the recoil lift F will increase, and the UAV body 3 will rise.

[0044] It should be noted that the lift flow rate formula In the middle, since G is the total weight of the UAV body 3 and the tethered cable unit 2, it is necessary to increase v. lift and Q lift At this time, the weight of the mooring cable unit 2 also increases (due to increased water flow), therefore v lift Q lift And G will increase at the same time.

[0045] To achieve fire suppression in high-rise buildings with heights ranging from 100 meters to 300 meters, the outlet pressure P of fire pump 11... pump The pressure should be between 1.5 MPa and 4.5 MPa, and the total flow rate Q total It should be between 20L / s and 50L / s.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, firefighters can monitor the flight altitude H in real time through the control system 12 and automatically adjust the outlet pressure P of the fire pump 11 using a closed-loop PID algorithm. pump This is to maintain a dynamic balance between the recoil lift F and the total weight G.

[0047] Furthermore, the UAV body 3 is also equipped with a fire source locator 37 and an environmental perception sensor 38. The fire source locator 37 is used to identify and locate the fire source and feed the information back to the control system 12. The environmental perception sensor 38 includes a temperature sensor, a wind speed and direction sensor, and an image acquisition device, used to monitor the environmental parameters of the fire scene in real time.

[0048] Furthermore, the ground water supply unit 1 also includes a foam mixing device, which is used to mix fire extinguishing water and foam agent in a certain proportion and then deliver them to the UAV body 3 to meet the fire extinguishing needs of different types of fires.

[0049] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A tethered recoil lift fire extinguishing drone system, comprising a drone body (3) connected to a ground water supply unit (1) by a tethering cable unit (2), characterized in that, The UAV body (3) includes a frame (31), a recoil nozzle assembly (33) and a fire extinguishing nozzle (35) mounted on the frame (31); the recoil lift generated when the fire extinguishing water transmitted through the tethered cable unit (2) is sprayed downward from the recoil nozzle assembly (33) serves as one of the sources of the UAV body (3)'s levitation lift; the fire extinguishing nozzle (35) sprays towards the fire source and is not affected by the downward spray of the recoil nozzle assembly (33); The backwash lift generated by the backwash force nozzle group (33) when spraying water downward is wherein is the water density, Q lift is the lift flow rate, v lift is the speed of the water flow sprayed downward by the backwash force nozzle group (33) relative to the UAV body (3).

2. The tethered recoil-lift firefighting unmanned aerial vehicle system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The backwash force nozzle group (33) includes a plurality of downwardly directed nozzles (331) with adjustable outlet diameters to vary the velocity v of the water jet lift and the lift force flow Q lift to adjust the magnitude of the backwash lift force F.

3. The tethered recoil-lift firefighting unmanned aerial vehicle system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The UAV body (3) also includes an attitude adjustment device, which includes a flow adjustment valve (34) for changing the jet flow distribution of each nozzle (331) to generate differential recoil lift to control the UAV body (3).

4. The tethered recoil-lift firefighting unmanned aerial vehicle system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The number of nozzles (331) is even and they are symmetrically arranged below the UAV body (3) so that the levitation force on the UAV is balanced when the nozzles (331) spray the flow downward.

5. The tethered recoil-lift firefighting unmanned aerial vehicle system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ground water supply unit (1) comprises a fire water pump (11) which outputs a total flow rate Q total = Q fire + Q lift , where Q fire is the fire-extinguishing flow rate. Lift flow rate meets Where G is the total weight of the UAV body (3) and the tether cable unit (2), and g is the gravitational acceleration; when the UAV body rises, the weight of the tether cable unit increases; When the drone body needs to hover or rise, F ≥ G must be satisfied.

6. The tethered recoil-lift firefighting unmanned aerial vehicle system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The tethered cable unit (2) includes a water supply cable (21) and a power cable (22); the power cable (22) is used to transmit power to the UAV body (3); one end of the water supply cable (21) is connected to a fire pump, and the other end is connected to the UAV body (3) to deliver fire-fighting water.

7. The tethered recoil-lift firefighting unmanned aerial vehicle system according to claim 6, characterized in that, Outlet pressure P of fire pump (11) pump The relationship with the flight height H of the UAV body (3) is: Among them, v pipe For the flow velocity within the water supply cable (21), there is D is the inner diameter of the water supply cable (21); f is the friction coefficient of the water hose; L is the length of the water supply cable (21); H is the flight altitude of the UAV body (3).

8. The tethered recoil-lift firefighting unmanned aerial vehicle system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The control system (12) monitors the flight altitude H in real time and uses a closed-loop PID algorithm to automatically adjust the outlet pressure P of the fire pump (11). pump This is to maintain a dynamic balance between the recoil lift F and the total weight G.

9. The tethered recoil-lift firefighting unmanned aerial vehicle system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The ground water supply unit (1) also includes an automatic pipeline retraction device (13) for automatically retracting and extending the water supply cable (21) and power cable (22) during the ascent and descent of the UAV body (3).

Images