Battery Charging Locker Cabinet With Aerosol Fire Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing locker cabinets for charging rechargeable batteries are not suitable for high-capacity batteries like Li-ion or Li-polymer, which can become unstable and ignite fires, posing a risk of fatal accidents due to the difficulty in extinguishing such fires.
Innovation Solution
A locker cabinet designed for outdoor use, featuring a plurality of compartments with power outlets for charging batteries, an aerosol distribution chamber, a smoke detector, an aerosol controller, and a common chimney for evacuating gases, which activates an aerosol generator to suppress fires and provide time for fire brigade intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If high-capacity batteries are charged inside buildings, then charging convenience is improved, but fire safety deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fire suppression function from the charging system by providing a separate fire suppression device that can be activated independently. This device contains fire extinguishing agents and can be triggered to suppress fires without affecting the normal charging operation, thus maintaining charging convenience while addressing fire safety concerns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces smoke detectors as intermediary devices that detect fire conditions and trigger the fire suppression system. This intermediary mechanism provides early warning and automatic response to fire hazards, enabling fire suppression while maintaining normal charging operations, thus resolving the contradiction between charging convenience and fire safety.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If fire suppression systems are added to locker cabinets, then fire safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fire suppression device is designed to automatically detect fire conditions through smoke detectors and trigger suppression without requiring manual intervention. This self-service capability simplifies operation and reduces the complexity of control systems while maintaining effective fire safety protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the fire suppression device with the existing locker cabinet structure, integrating fire safety functions into the charging infrastructure. This merging approach allows fire protection to be provided within the existing system framework, minimizing additional complexity while improving fire safety.
3Volume of stationary object
If multiple compartments are stacked vertically, then space utilization is improved, but fire evacuation difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the locker cabinet into multiple separate compartments, each capable of independent fire suppression. This segmentation allows fire to be contained within individual compartments and suppressed locally, preventing vertical spread and facilitating easier fire management despite the stacked configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
Smoke detectors are positioned to monitor each compartment, providing early detection and triggering targeted fire suppression in affected areas. This intermediary detection system enables rapid response to fires in specific compartments, reducing evacuation difficulty despite the vertical stacking configuration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces the risk of fatal accidents by suppressing fires in high-capacity batteries, providing a fire retardation of 60 minutes for Li-ion and 30 minutes for Li-polymer batteries, allowing sufficient time for the fire brigade to respond and extinguish the fire.
Implementation Method 1
an aerosol generator located within the aerosol distribution chamber and configured such that when activated an aerosol is released into the aerosol distribution chamber
Implementation Method 2
a common chimney configured for evacuating gases from each of the plurality of compartments. Each of the plurality of compartments comprises a gas evacuation opening fluidly connected with the common chimney such that smoke or any other gas when present in any of the plurality of compartments can evacuate through the common chimney
Implementation Method 3
at least one smoke detector located within one of the plurality of compartments or located within the aerosol distribution chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A locker cabinet for storing and charging rechargeable batteries includes a plurality of compartments stacked on top of each other starting from a bottom compartment up to a top compartment. The locker cabinet has an aerosol generator located within an aerosol distribution chamber, and an aerosol controller is configured for activating the aerosol generator if a smoke alarm is triggered. The locker cabinet has a common chimney for evacuating gases from each of the plurality of compartments and each of the plurality of compartments comprises a gas evacuation opening fluidly connected with the common chimney. The back side of at least the bottom compartment comprises an opening fluidly connected with the aerosol distribution chamber such that when the first aerosol generator is activated the released aerosol flows from the aerosol distribution chamber into at least the bottom compartment through the opening in the back side of the bottom compartment.