Vehicle fire extinguishing device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle fire extinguishing device, which can quickly respond to occurrence of electric vehicle fire, can suppress the spread of flames and stably maintain a flame-spread suppression state until the fire is completely extinguished, and purifies toxic gas and smoke generated during combustion and discharges same through an external exhaust pipe, thereby minimizing damage caused by the electric vehicle fire.

Description

Vehicle fire suppression device

[0001] The present invention relates to a fire suppression device for vehicles, and more specifically, to a fire suppression device for vehicles that can respond quickly to the occurrence of a fire in an electric vehicle, suppress the spread of flames until the fire is completely suppressed, stably maintain the state of suppressed flame spread, and purify toxic gases and smoke generated during combustion and discharge them through an external exhaust pipe, thereby minimizing damage caused by the fire in an electric vehicle.

[0002] Although automobiles generally adopt an internal combustion engine drive system using gasoline or diesel fuel, the carbon emissions generated by the operation of internal combustion engines accelerate global warming, and nitrogen compounds, which are problematic along with carbon emissions, are identified as one of the causes of air pollution.

[0003] Accordingly, the adoption rate of electric vehicles, which emit low levels of carbon and nitrogen compounds, has recently increased significantly; however, along with this growing adoption rate, the number of fires and the amount of damage caused by electric vehicles are also rising.

[0004] Fires in electric vehicles include not only general vehicle accident fires where internal combustible materials such as vehicle seats burn, but also battery fires where thermal energy generated during the combustion of internal combustible materials is transferred to the battery and causes the battery to burn. Battery fires in electric vehicles can proceed according to four stages of the mechanism: swelling, release of overpressure, generation of combustible gas, and thermal runaway (ignition of combustible gas).

[0005] During the thermal runaway stage, combustion occurs more violently than in typical vehicle accidents, generating large flames and smoke. Therefore, if an electric vehicle fire occurs inside a building, such as in an underground parking lot, it poses a threat not only to the building's total destruction but also to the safety of its residents due to toxic gases.

[0006] However, since electric vehicles are constructed with a structure that makes it difficult for water to penetrate the battery due to reasons such as waterproofing and dustproofing, it is also difficult for firefighting water to penetrate the battery. Consequently, fire suppression time and the amount of water required to extinguish the fire take longer than for fires in conventional vehicles.

[0007] Due to these significant differences from the characteristics of conventional vehicle fires, fire departments and related companies are continuously conducting research and development on methods to effectively suppress electric vehicle fires, an example of which is disclosed in Korean Registered Patent No. 10-2376222.

[0008]

[0009] FIG. 1a is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional vehicle fire suppression device, and FIG. 1b is a diagram illustrating the installation steps of a conventional vehicle fire suppression device in sequence.

[0010] As illustrated in FIG. 1a, a conventional vehicle fire suppression device (100) comprises a waterproof plate (110) made of a waterproof material, a vertical wall (120) that is connected to each corner of the waterproof plate (110) and extends upward to form an isolation space (121) in which an electric vehicle and water are contained, a lifting tube (130) positioned below the electric vehicle within the isolation space (121), and a buoyancy tube (140) connected to the upper part of the vertical wall (120).

[0011] When examining the installation method of the conventional vehicle fire suppression device (100) as shown in FIG. 1b, a lifting tube (130) and a wound waterproof plate (110) are inserted into the lower part of the electric vehicle where a fire has occurred, and the lifting tube (130) is inflated to lift the electric vehicle off the ground, then the waterproof plate (110) is unfolded, a vertical wall (120) is attached to each corner of the unfolded waterproof plate (110), and a buoyancy tube (140) is attached to the upper part to complete the assembly. After the assembly is completed, water is supplied into the isolation space formed by the vertical wall (120) to cool the electric vehicle and suppress the fire.

[0012] However, in the case of fires in electric vehicles, particularly battery fires, rapid fire suppression is required to reduce fire damage by blocking thermal runaway phenomena. The conventional immersion type fire suppression device (100) for vehicles has a problem in that it is difficult to respond quickly and efficiently to the occurrence of a fire in an electric vehicle, as it requires a significant amount of time to install the waterproof plate (110) and lifting tube (130) and assemble the vertical wall (120) to immerse the electric vehicle in water, and even after the installation is completed, a considerable amount of additional time is required in the process of supplying water into the isolation space to submerge the electric vehicle.

[0013] As such, in the event of a fire in a narrow underground parking lot, especially in electric vehicles, fire suppression is delayed due to the difficulty of access caused by thermal runaway and fire spread. This results in a significant decrease in visibility within the building and poses a threat to the safety of building occupants due to an environment toxic to the human body caused by toxic gases and high-temperature steam from the supply water that occur simultaneously with the fire.

[0014] The present invention has been devised to solve the aforementioned problems, and the objective of the present invention is to provide a vehicle fire suppression device capable of responding quickly to the occurrence of a fire in a vehicle, particularly an electric vehicle, while suppressing the spread of flames until the fire is completely extinguished and stably maintaining the state of flame spread suppression, and minimizing damage caused by a vehicle fire by purifying smoke generated during combustion and discharging it through an external exhaust pipe.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose, the invention comprises: a support frame fixedly installed on the upper part of a preset area; a smoke exhaust unit installed on one side of the support frame, having a smoke inlet formed on one side to remove smoke when smoke enters the interior; a barrier wall, having an upper end fixed to one side of the support frame and installed to be capable of falling downward, having an isolation space formed inside for accommodating an electric vehicle that has caught fire, having an open upper end, and having a lower end supported on the ground when falling downward; a fixing means coupled to one side of the support frame and the barrier wall to fix the barrier wall to the support frame, and releasing the fixed state of the barrier wall fixed to the support frame when one side detaches from at least one of the support frame or the barrier wall; and a device having an upper and lower end open, with an upper end connected to one side of the smoke exhaust unit having the smoke inlet formed therein and a lower end connected to the inner lower end of the barrier wall, having an interior space formed therein and located at the bottom of the support frame when the barrier wall moves downward. A fire suppression device for a vehicle is provided, characterized by including a fire extinguishing cloth that covers and shields an electric vehicle, and a water supply unit installed on one side of the support frame and supplying water to the fire extinguishing cloth within the isolation space.

[0016] In addition, it is preferable that the above fire extinguisher has a water inlet formed on one side corresponding to the lower part of the electric vehicle.

[0017] In addition, the above barrier wall may further include a sealing member installed at the bottom.

[0018] In addition, it is desirable that the above-mentioned smoke exhaust unit be connected to an exhaust port within the building so that smoke-removed air is discharged to the outside of the building through the exhaust port.

[0019] In addition, it may further include a detection means that detects a fire in an electric vehicle within a preset area and generates a detection signal including fire detection information; a control unit that receives the detection signal from the detection means, analyzes the fire detection information to obtain location information of the electric vehicle where the fire occurred, and generates a drive control signal based on the location information; and a transfer robot that moves to the electric vehicle where the fire occurred according to the drive control signal of the control unit and transfers the electric vehicle to a preset area corresponding to the installation location of the support frame.

[0020] It is preferable to further include a cooling unit that extends from one side of the water supply unit and supplies water to at least one of the side of the fire extinguishing cloth, the connection area, or the interior of the smoke exhaust unit, where the fire extinguishing cloth and the smoke exhaust unit are connected.

[0021] According to the present invention as described above, when an electric vehicle fire occurs, the target vehicle is isolated simply by dropping a barrier wall, and at the same time, the fire extinguishing cloth covers the target vehicle to suppress the spread of flames. Furthermore, by continuously supplying water to the surface of the fire extinguishing cloth within the isolation space, the spread of flames can be suppressed until the fire is completely extinguished, and the state of suppressed flame spread can be stably maintained. Additionally, by purifying the smoke generated during combustion and discharging it through an external exhaust pipe, the damage caused by the electric vehicle fire can be minimized.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional vehicle fire suppression device.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle fire suppression device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating a smoke exhaust section according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a sensing means, a transfer robot, and a control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 5a is a drawing illustrating the state in which a transfer robot moves to an electric vehicle that is on fire according to a drive control signal of a control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 5b is a drawing illustrating the state in which a transport robot according to an embodiment of the present invention transports an electric vehicle in the event of a fire to a fire extinguishing zone.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating a state in which the fixed arm of a fixing means according to an embodiment of the present invention rotates to release the fixed state of a barrier wall.

[0029] FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating a state in which a barrier wall falls and isolates an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating the state in which water is supplied to an isolation space according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 9 is a drawing illustrating the state in which water is introduced into the lower part of an electric vehicle through the water supply port of a fire extinguishing cloth according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle fire suppression device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Additionally, the second cooling unit (C2) is branched from one side of the water supply unit (60), and the extended end penetrates the side of the exhaust unit (20) and is positioned inside the exhaust unit (20) to supply water into the exhaust unit (20).

[0034] This second cooling unit (C2) supplies water directly to the filters inside the exhaust unit (20) to prevent damage to the internal filters due to heat, and at the same time, the water supplied to the filters falls downward to suppress the flames of the vehicle.

[0035] The rest of the structure is identical to the basic embodiment described above, so the remaining description will be omitted.

[0036] Although the present invention has been described in relation to the preferred embodiments mentioned above, various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the essence and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the appended claims will include such modifications and variations that fall within the essence of the invention.

Claims

1. A support frame fixedly installed on the upper part of a preset area; A smoke exhaust unit installed on one side of the above-mentioned support frame, having a smoke inlet formed on one side to purify and discharge smoke entering the interior; A barrier wall having an upper portion fixed to one side of the support frame and installed to be able to fall downward, with an isolation space formed inside for accommodating a vehicle that has caught fire, an open upper portion, and a lower portion supported on the ground when falling downward; A fixing means coupled to one side of the support frame and the barrier wall to fix the barrier wall to the support frame, and releasing the fixed state of the barrier wall fixed to the support frame when one side detaches from at least one of the support frame or the barrier wall; A fire extinguishing cloth having an open upper and lower portion, with the upper portion connected to one side of the smoke exhaust portion where the smoke inlet is formed and the lower portion connected to the inner lower portion of the barrier wall, and having a space formed inside to cover and shield a vehicle located within the isolation space when the barrier wall moves downward; and A fire suppression device for a vehicle characterized by including a water supply unit installed on one side of the support frame and supplying water to the space between the barrier wall and the fire extinguishing cloth.

2. In Paragraph 1, A fire suppression device for a vehicle, characterized in that the above-mentioned fire extinguishing cloth has a water inlet formed at a position corresponding to the lower part of the vehicle.

3. In Paragraph 1, A fire suppression device for a vehicle characterized by the above-mentioned barrier further including a sealing member installed at the bottom.

4. In Paragraph 1, A vehicle fire suppression device characterized by the above-mentioned exhaust unit being connected to an exhaust port inside a building so that purified air is discharged to the outside of the building through the exhaust port.

5. In Paragraph 1, A detection means for detecting a fire in a vehicle within a preset area and generating a detection signal including fire detection information; A control unit that receives the detection signal from the detection means, analyzes the fire detection information to obtain location information of the vehicle where the fire occurred, and generates a driving control signal based on the location information; and A fire suppression device for a vehicle, characterized by further including a transfer robot that moves to the vehicle where a fire has occurred according to a drive control signal from the control unit and transfers the vehicle to a preset area corresponding to the installation position of the support frame.

6. In Paragraph 1, A fire suppression device for a vehicle, characterized by further including a cooling unit that extends from one side of the water supply unit and supplies water to at least one of the one side of the fire extinguishing cloth, the connection area, or the interior of the smoke exhaust unit, where the fire extinguishing cloth and the smoke exhaust unit are connected.

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