Wireless remote-controlled movable fire extinguishing apparatus for electric vehicle
A compact, wirelessly controlled fire suppression device with a square tube body and vortex-enhanced nozzles addresses the challenges of deploying and extinguishing electric vehicle fires safely and effectively.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SEONE SOBANG CORP
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-18
AI Technical Summary
Conventional fire extinguishing devices for electric vehicles are large, difficult to deploy under the vehicle, have limited spray range, and pose risks to firefighters, making it hard to extinguish fires effectively and safely at the battery pack.
A compact, wirelessly controlled fire suppression device with a square tube body, rear and front wheels, and multiple spray nozzles that change water flow direction via vortex reaction, allowing easy insertion and wide spray coverage, controlled by a remote controller to prevent firefighter exposure.
Enables rapid, wide-area extinguishing of electric vehicle fires with reduced risk to firefighters by allowing easy deployment and minimizing direct contact with flames and toxic gases.
Smart Images
Figure KR2024020251_18062026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Electric vehicle fire suppression device moved by wireless control
[0001] The present invention relates to an electric vehicle fire suppression device, and more specifically, to a wirelessly controlled electric vehicle fire suppression device that is composed of a square tube having a certain width and height, thereby being relatively compact and allowing for easy insertion into the underside of a vehicle where a fire has occurred; furthermore, by enabling upward vibrating spraying of extinguishing water through a spray nozzle, the extinguishing water can widely reach the battery pack of the electric vehicle, thereby enabling rapid extinguishing in the early stages of a fire; and in particular, by moving to the underside of the fire source of the vehicle where the fire has occurred via wireless control, it prevents casualties during the movement to the fire source.
[0002] In the case of ordinary automobiles, since they are driven by internal combustion engines, there were problems such as causing air pollution due to exhaust gases.
[0003] For this reason, electric vehicles have recently been attracting attention.
[0004] Since electric vehicles are driven by motors powered by batteries, they can prevent air pollution by eliminating exhaust emissions, reduce driver fatigue due to minimal noise during driving, and lower maintenance costs by reducing the number of parts; consequently, their adoption is rapidly increasing as they replace conventional automobiles using internal combustion engines.
[0005] However, electric vehicles had a problem where it was difficult to extinguish a fire when it occurred.
[0006] In other words, when a fire occurs in an electric vehicle's battery pack due to external impact or internal short circuit, it is difficult to extinguish the fire in its early stages due to thermal runaway phenomena, and as the fire spreads to surrounding vehicles, there was a problem in which the damage from the fire increased.
[0007] For this reason, when a fire occurs in an electric vehicle, specialized equipment such as a 'mobile water tank' disclosed in Korean Public Patent No. 10-2022-0146971 is used to suppress the fire; however, since specialized equipment for suppressing electric vehicle fires is limited and is installed only in specific regions or locations, there was a problem in that it was difficult to extinguish the fire using such equipment if it occurred outside of those regions or locations.
[0008] In addition, there were fire extinguishing devices for electric vehicles that sprayed extinguishing water in addition to 'mobile water tanks,' but conventional fire extinguishing devices for electric vehicles that sprayed extinguishing water had a problem of poor extinguishing effectiveness because the range of extinguishing water sprayed through any single spray nozzle was only narrow.
[0009] Furthermore, most conventional fire extinguishing devices for electric vehicles that spray fire extinguishing water are relatively large due to their considerable width and height. Consequently, it was difficult to deploy them under the vehicle where a fire occurred, which not only made it difficult to spray water onto the battery pack located at the bottom of the electric vehicle but also occupied a significant amount of space, posing a problem of difficulty in loading them onto fire trucks and moving them close to the site of the fire.
[0010] In addition, most conventional fire extinguishing systems for electric vehicles that spray firefighting water had a problem in that firefighters were frequently injured by flames or other sources while moving to the fire source under the vehicle, as this required the firefighters to be transported to the location of the fire.
[0011] For the reasons mentioned above, attempts are being made in this field to develop an electric vehicle fire suppression device that facilitates loading onto fire trucks, moving close to the source of the fire, and inserting into the underside of the vehicle where the fire occurred, as well as enabling a wide spray of extinguishing water and preventing casualties during the movement to the source of the fire; however, satisfactory results have not been obtained to date.
[0012]
[0013] [Prior Art Literature]
[0014] [Patent Literature]
[0015] (Patent Document 1) Republic of Korea Published Patent No. 10-2022-0146971
[0016] The present invention is proposed to resolve the problems of the conventional technology described above, and aims to provide an electric vehicle fire suppression device that not only facilitates easy insertion into the underside of a vehicle where a fire has occurred but also enables rapid extinguishing in the early stages of a fire by allowing firefighting water to widely reach the battery pack of the electric vehicle, and particularly prevents casualties during the process of moving to the fire source.
[0017] To achieve the above objective, the present invention,
[0018] A fire suppression device for an electric vehicle that moves by wireless control is proposed, comprising: a body formed of a square tube having a constant width and height, receiving fire extinguishing water supplied from the outside through a fire extinguishing water supply pipe, and having a pair of rear wheels that rotate by driving a drive motor; and a pair of front wheels whose direction of travel is controlled by the operation of a steering unit; spray nozzles disposed at multiple points on the body that spray the fire extinguishing water flowing along the body upward toward a battery pack located on the bottom of the electric vehicle where a fire has occurred, and vibrate spray the fire extinguishing water through repeated changes in the direction of flow caused by the reaction force of a vortex; and a controller disposed at one point on the body that controls the operation of the drive motor and the steering unit according to a signal from a remote controller.
[0019] The electric vehicle fire suppression device moved by wireless control according to the present invention has a body made of a square tube having a certain width and height, so it can be manufactured in a relatively small size, making it easy to load onto a fire truck and move close to the location of the fire, and in particular, easy to insert into the underside of the electric vehicle where the fire occurred.
[0020] The electric vehicle fire suppression device moved by wireless control according to the present invention not only has spray nozzles positioned at multiple points on the body, but also repeatedly changes the flow direction of the extinguishing water at each spray nozzle, i.e., vibrating spraying of the extinguishing water, so that the extinguishing water can reach a wider area, particularly the battery pack of the electric vehicle, thereby enabling smooth extinguishing of the electric vehicle fire in the early stages of occurrence.
[0021] The electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control according to the present invention includes a controller positioned at a point on the body. Since the driving motor and steering unit are operated by the control of the controller in accordance with a signal from a remote controller, the body can be moved by wireless control, thereby suppressing direct contact with flames and inhalation of toxic gases by firefighters during the movement of the body, thus preventing casualties.
[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control according to the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 2 is an example diagram showing fire suppression using an electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control according to the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram showing the flow of fire extinguishing water inside the spray nozzle of an electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control according to the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram showing the spraying of fire extinguishing water through a spray nozzle of an electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control according to the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram showing the connection of a fire extinguishing water supply pipe to an electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control according to the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram showing the operation of a steering unit in an electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control according to the present invention.
[0028] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.
[0029]
[0030] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the electric vehicle fire suppression device (A) that moves by wireless control according to the present invention comprises: a body (10); a spray nozzle (20); and a controller (30).
[0031] The body (10) of the present invention is made of a square tube having a constant width and height and receives fire extinguishing water supplied through a fire extinguishing water supply pipe (200).
[0032] At this time, the body (10) includes a pair of rear wheels (11) that rotate by driving a driving motor (12) and a pair of front wheels (13) whose direction of travel is controlled by the operation of a steering unit (14), so that movement can be achieved by the rotation of the pair of rear wheels (11) and the direction of travel can be changed by controlling the direction of travel of the pair of front wheels (13).
[0033] Here, the steering unit (14) comprises: a support member (14a) that rotatably supports a pair of front wheels (13) and is hinge-coupled to a fixed piece (10a) fixedly installed on the body (10); a gear part (14b) disposed on the support member (14a) and meshing with a steering gear (14c) fixedly installed on the body (10); and a steering motor (14d) that transmits rotational force to the steering gear (14c). By driving the steering motor (14d), the gear part (14b) meshing with it moves in one direction or another direction by the rotation of the steering gear (14c), thereby causing the support member (14a) to move to one side or the other side, and thus the direction of travel of the front wheels (13) can be adjusted.
[0034] And the body (10) includes a plurality of branch pipes (15), so that not only can fire extinguishing water be received by each branch pipe (15), but a mounting surface for a spray nozzle (20) can also be provided.
[0035] And the body (10) includes a one-touch connector (16) positioned at one end in the longitudinal direction, so that a fire extinguishing water supply pipe (200) extending from the outside can be connected to the one-touch connector (16), thereby allowing for a simple connection with the fire extinguishing water supply pipe (200).
[0036] Here, the one-touch connector (16) may be of any ordinary structure and type as long as it can be connected to the fire extinguishing water supply pipe (200), so a detailed description of the one-touch connector (16) is omitted.
[0037] And the body (10) includes a valve (16a) placed in the one-touch connector (16), so that the inflow of fire extinguishing water can be controlled by opening and closing the valve (16a).
[0038] And the body (10) includes a thermal imaging camera (17) positioned at a point on the upper surface, so that an image of the fire occurrence point can be realized through heat tracking and heat line visualization by the thermal imaging camera (17).
[0039] At this time, the thermal imaging camera (17) may be of any ordinary structure and method as long as it is capable of creating an image through heat tracking and heat ray visualization, so a detailed description of the thermal imaging camera (17) is omitted.
[0040] And the body (10) includes a communication module (18) positioned at a point on the outer surface, so that the image signal of the thermal imaging camera (17) can be transmitted to the outside by the communication module (18).
[0041] Here, the communication module (18) may be of any ordinary structure and method as long as it can transmit the image signal of the thermal imaging camera (17) to the outside, more specifically to the display module (41) of the remote controller (40), so a detailed description of the communication module (18) is omitted.
[0042] Meanwhile, a battery (not shown in the drawing) is installed in the body (10), so that power can be supplied to the drive motor (12) and steering unit (14) by the battery.
[0043] The spray nozzle (20) of the present invention is positioned at a plurality of points on the body (10) and sprays fire extinguishing water flowing along the body (10) upward toward the battery pack (110) located on the bottom surface of the electric vehicle (100) where a fire has occurred.
[0044] At this time, the spray nozzle (20) vibrates and sprays the extinguishing water through repeated changes in the flow direction due to the reaction force of the vortex, thereby allowing the extinguishing water to reach a wider area of the battery pack (110) located on the bottom surface of the electric vehicle (100) where the fire occurred.
[0045] And the spray nozzle (20) includes a center channel (21) having an inlet (21a) into which fire extinguishing water flows and an outlet (21b) into which the fire extinguishing water flowing through the inlet (21a) flows out; and a plurality of swirling channels (22) separated from one side adjacent to the inlet (21a) and connected to the other side adjacent to the outlet (21b); thereby, a portion of the fire extinguishing water flowing along the center channel (21) flows along the swirling channels (22), thereby resolving the stagnation of fire extinguishing water flow within the center channel (21).
[0046] Here, the center channel (21) extends from the longitudinal end adjacent to the inlet (21a) toward the longitudinal middle, and as the opening width gradually increases, the flow of fire extinguishing water into the interior can be facilitated.
[0047] And the center channel (21) is formed with both sides having outwardly convex curved surfaces, so that the fire extinguishing water flowing into the center channel (21) can come into contact with one of the two sides and flow in a curved shape.
[0048] And the inlet (21a) of the center channel (21) communicates with the internal space of the body (10), so that fire extinguishing water flowing along the internal space of the body (10) can be introduced through the inlet (21a) of the center channel (21).
[0049] And at least one of the spray nozzles (20) is positioned at an angle so that the extinguishing water can be sprayed in a diagonal direction through the spray nozzle (20).
[0050] The controller (30) of the present invention is positioned at a point on the body (10) and controls the operation of the drive motor (12) and steering unit (14) according to a signal from the remote controller (40).
[0051] As long as such a controller (30) can control the operation of the drive motor (12) and the steering unit (14) according to the signal of the remote controller (40), it may be of any ordinary structure and method, so a detailed description of the controller (30) is omitted.
[0052] Meanwhile, the remote controller (40) includes a display module (41), so that the image signal of the thermal imaging camera (17) transmitted by the communication module (18) described above is input into the display module (41), and thus an image can be displayed through the display module (41).
[0053] At this time, the display module (41) may be of any ordinary structure and method as long as it is capable of displaying an image according to the input of an image signal, so a detailed description of the display module (41) is omitted.
[0054]
[0055] The following is a detailed description of the fire suppression of an electric vehicle (100) using an electric vehicle fire suppression device (A) that moves by wireless control according to the present invention.
[0056] In the present invention, a fire extinguishing water supply pipe (200) is connected to one end of the body (10), and fire extinguishing water supplied through the fire extinguishing water supply pipe (200) can be received within the body (10).
[0057] At this time, the body (10) includes a one-touch connector (16) positioned at one end in the longitudinal direction, so as shown in FIG. 5, a connection with the fire extinguishing water supply pipe (200) can be easily made by connecting the fire extinguishing water supply pipe (200) extending from the outside to the one-touch connector (16).
[0058] And spray nozzles (20) are arranged at multiple points on the body (10), so that the fire extinguishing water contained in the body (10) can be sprayed by each spray nozzle (20).
[0059] Therefore, when a fire occurs in an electric vehicle (100), for example, when a fire occurs in the battery pack (110) of the electric vehicle (100), as shown in FIG. 2, the body (10) is positioned at the bottom of the electric vehicle (100) where the fire occurred, and then fire extinguishing water is sprayed through the spray nozzle (20), so that the fire extinguishing water reaches the battery pack (110) of the electric vehicle (100) directly, thereby allowing the fire to be extinguished smoothly.
[0060] At this time, the body (10) is made of a square tube having a certain width and height, and since it is relatively small, it can be easily loaded onto a fire truck (not shown in the drawing) and moved close to the fire source, and it can be easily inserted into the lower part of the electric vehicle (100) where the fire occurred, and in particular, it can be inserted through the space between the front or rear wheels of the electric vehicle (100), so that interference from surrounding vehicles or walls in a parking lot, etc. can be avoided.
[0061] However, if a firefighter is exposed to flames or inhales toxic gas while inserting the body (10) into the lower part of the electric vehicle (100), it may lead to casualties.
[0062] However, since the body (10) of the present invention can be moved by wireless control, direct contact with flames and inhalation of toxic gases by firefighters during the movement process can be suppressed, thereby preventing safety accidents.
[0063] That is, the body (10) of the present invention comprises a pair of rear wheels (11) that rotate by driving a drive motor (12); and a pair of front wheels (13) whose direction of travel is controlled by operating a steering unit (14). Since the operation of the drive motor (12) and the steering unit (14) is controlled by a controller (30), the movement of the body (10) can be wirelessly controlled as the operation of the drive motor (12) and the steering unit (14) is performed by the control of the controller (30) according to a signal from a remote controller (40), thereby suppressing direct contact with flames and inhalation of toxic gases by firefighters, thus preventing the occurrence of safety accidents.
[0064] At this time, the steering unit (14) includes a support member (14a) that rotatably supports a pair of front wheels (13) and is hinge-coupled to a fixed piece (10a) fixedly installed on the body (10); a gear part (14b) that is positioned on the support member (14a) and meshes with a steering gear (14c) fixedly installed on the body (10); and a steering motor (14d) that transmits rotational force to the steering gear (14c). As shown in FIG. 6, the gear part (14b) that meshes with it moves in one direction or another direction by the rotation of the steering gear (14c) driven by the steering motor (14d), and as the support member (14a) moves to one side or the other side, the direction of travel of the front wheels (13) can be adjusted.
[0065] And the body (10) includes a thermal imaging camera (17) that is positioned on the upper surface and implements an image through heat tracking and heat line visualization; and a communication module (18) that is positioned at a point on the outer surface and transmits the image signal of the thermal imaging camera (17) to the outside. The remote controller (40) includes a display module (41) that receives the image signal of the thermal imaging camera (17) transmitted by the communication module (18) and displays it visually. By checking the image of the thermal imaging camera (17) displayed through the display module (41) of the remote controller (40) and wirelessly controlling the movement of the body (10), the body (10) can be accurately moved to the lower part of the fire source of the electric vehicle (100), thereby allowing fire suppression by spraying fire extinguishing water through the spray nozzle (20) to be more efficient.
[0066] Meanwhile, the electric vehicle fire suppression device (A) that moves by wireless control according to the present invention can spray fire extinguishing water more widely at the point where the fire occurred.
[0067] That is, the spray nozzle (20) of the present invention comprises a center channel (21) having an inlet (21a) into which fire extinguishing water flows and an outlet (21b) into which the fire extinguishing water flowing in through the inlet (21a) flows out; It includes a plurality of swirling channels (22) separated from one side adjacent to the inlet (21a) and connected to the other side adjacent to the outlet (21b); as shown in FIG. 3, as a portion of the fire extinguishing water flowing along the center channel (21) flows along the swirling channels (22), thereby resolving the stagnation of fire extinguishing water flow within the center channel (21). In particular, as a vortex is generated between the fire extinguishing water flowing within the center channel (21) and one side surface of the center channel (21), the flow direction of the fire extinguishing water is changed by the reaction force generated by the vortex generation. As the fire extinguishing water whose flow direction is changed by the reaction force generated by the vortex generation is again changed by the reaction force generated by the vortex generation between the other side surfaces of the center channel (21), the flow direction change is repeated during the fire extinguishing water spraying process, in other words, vibrating spraying can be performed, so the fire extinguishing water sprayed through each spray nozzle (20) can reach the battery pack (110) more widely, thereby preventing fire. Early evolution can be smooth.
[0068] At this time, the center flow path (21) of the spray nozzle (20) gradually increases in opening width from the longitudinal end adjacent to the inlet (21a) toward the longitudinal middle, so that the inflow of fire extinguishing water into the interior can be smooth.
[0069] In addition, the center channel (21) of the spray nozzle (20) is formed with both sides having convex curves on the outside, so that the fire extinguishing water flowing within the center channel (21) flows in a curved shape as shown in FIG. 4, so that the generation of vortices during the fire extinguishing water flow process is smooth, and the flow direction of the fire extinguishing water is changed quickly by the reaction force generated by the vortices, and the flow width is widened, so that the spray direction of the fire extinguishing water can be changed quickly, and the spray angle of the fire extinguishing water can be widened further.
[0070] In addition, at least one of the spray nozzles (20) of the present invention is positioned at an angle, so that extinguishing water can be sprayed diagonally toward the outside through the spray nozzle (20), thereby further expanding the range of extinguishing water delivery.
[0071]
[0072] The present invention, as described above, is not limited to the embodiments described above and may be modified within the scope that does not deviate from the essence of the invention claimed in the claims, and such modifications fall within the scope of protection of the present invention as defined by the claims below.
[0073]
[0074] [Explanation of the symbol]
[0075] 10 : Body 10a : Fixing piece
[0076] 11: Rear wheel 12: Drive motor
[0077] 13: Front wheel 14: Steering unit
[0078] 14a: Support 14b: Gear part
[0079] 14c: Steering gear 14d: Steering motor
[0080] 15 : Branch pipe 16 : One-touch connector
[0081] 16a : Valve 17 : Thermal imaging camera
[0082] 18 : Communication module 20 : Spray nozzle
[0083] 21 : Center Euro 21a : Inlet
[0084] 21b : Outlet 21 : Center Euro
[0085] 22 : Turning channel 30 : Controller
[0086] 40 : Remote controller 41 : Display module
[0087] 100 : Electric vehicle 110 : Battery pack
[0088] 200 : Fire extinguishing water supply pipe A : Electric vehicle fire suppression device
[0089] It is composed of square tubes with a constant width and height, making it relatively compact so that it can be easily inserted into the underside of a vehicle where a fire has occurred. Furthermore, by using a spray nozzle to spray upward vibrating water, the water can be widely distributed to the battery pack of the electric vehicle, allowing for rapid extinguishing in the early stages of a fire. In particular, by moving to the underside of the fire source of the vehicle where the fire has occurred via wireless control, it can prevent casualties during the movement to the fire source, thus having industrial applicability in the production of electric vehicle fire suppression devices.
Claims
1. A body formed of square tubes having a constant width and height, receiving fire extinguishing water supplied through a fire extinguishing water supply pipe connected from the outside, and provided with a pair of rear wheels that rotate each by driving a drive motor; and a pair of front wheels whose direction of travel is controlled by the operation of a steering unit; A spray nozzle disposed at a plurality of points on the body and spraying the extinguishing water flowing along the body upward toward a battery pack located on the bottom surface of an electric vehicle where a fire has occurred, and vibrating the spraying of the extinguishing water through repeated changes in the direction of flow caused by the reaction force of a vortex; and An electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control, characterized by including a controller positioned at a point on the body and controlling the operation of the drive motor and the steering unit according to a signal from a remote controller.
2. In Paragraph 1, An electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control, characterized in that the above body includes: a one-touch connector connected to the fire extinguishing water supply pipe; and a valve disposed at the connector to control the inflow of the fire extinguishing water.
3. In Paragraph 1, An electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control, characterized in that the above body comprises: a thermal imaging camera disposed at a point on the upper surface to create an image through heat tracking and heat line visualization; and a communication module disposed at a point on the outer surface to transmit an image signal of the thermal imaging camera to the outside.
4. In Paragraph 1, An electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control, characterized in that the steering unit comprises: a support member hinged to a fixed piece fixedly installed on the body, which rotatably supports a pair of the front wheels; a gear part disposed on the support member and meshing with a steering gear fixedly installed on the body; and a steering motor that transmits rotational force to the steering gear.
5. In Paragraph 1, An electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control, characterized in that the above remote controller includes a display module that receives a wirelessly transmitted video signal and displays it visually.
6. In Paragraph 1, An electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control, characterized in that the above-mentioned spray nozzle comprises: a center flow path having an inlet through which the fire extinguishing water flows in and an outlet through which the fire extinguishing water flowing in through the inlet flows out; and a plurality of swirling flow paths separated from one side adjacent to the inlet and connected to the other side adjacent to the outlet.
7. In Paragraph 6, An electric vehicle fire suppression device that moves by wireless control, characterized in that the center channel gradually increases in opening width as it extends from the longitudinal end adjacent to the inlet toward the longitudinal middle, and both sides are formed as outwardly convex curved surfaces.