Drone Fire Suppression Tower with Adjustable Dispensing Angles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current firefighting methods, including fire engines and remote-controlled robots, are limited in their ability to effectively deliver fire suppressants to large rural areas, especially in difficult terrain, due to limited capacity and accessibility issues, and pose risks to human operators.
Innovation Solution
A fluid delivery system that includes a dispensing tower with adjustable height and angle, equipped with multiple nozzles and a monitoring system, allowing for remote control and automatic dispensing of fire suppressants above foliage or flammable materials, optimizing suppression and prevention of fire spread.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fire engines are used to deliver fire suppressant, then consistent supply of fire suppressant can be secured, but the vehicle cannot access difficult terrain and requires trained operators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical fire engine system with a drone-based fluid delivery system that uses aerodynamic propulsion and GPS navigation. The drone can access difficult terrain including wildfire perimeters, steep slopes, and remote areas that are inaccessible to ground vehicles, while maintaining reliable fire suppressant delivery through automated flight control and positioning systems.
2Productivity
If aircraft are used to deliver fire suppressant from above, then fire spread can be effectively stopped, but highly trained pilots are required and human safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The drone system performs fire suppression operations autonomously without requiring human pilots to fly through dangerous smoke and fire conditions. The drone navigates to fire locations using GPS coordinates, dispenses fire suppressant automatically, and can be controlled remotely or operate semi-autonomously, eliminating the need for trained pilots to expose themselves to harmful environmental conditions.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple aircraft are used to fight large area fires, then sufficient fire suppressant can be delivered, but cost and practicality increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the fire suppression task into multiple drone units that can operate independently or in coordination. Each drone carries its own fire suppressant supply and can be deployed in swarms to cover large areas, replacing the need for multiple expensive aircraft while achieving the same or greater total suppressant delivery capacity through coordinated multi-drone operations.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If remote controlled robots are used to detect and fight fire, then human interaction with fire is reduced, but limited capacity for storing and delivering fire suppressant restricts their usefulness
Solution Approach 1:
The drone system dynamically adjusts its fire suppressant capacity based on mission requirements, carrying larger quantities for extended operations or multiple dispensing events. The drones can be rapidly replenished at base locations and deployed repeatedly, providing both reduced human exposure and sufficient fire suppressant capacity for large-scale wildfire suppression operations.
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
Enables efficient and safe delivery of fire suppressants to large areas with reduced human exposure, effectively limiting fire spread and extinguishing fires without the need for multiple aircraft or trained pilots, while being adaptable to various terrain and fire conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a pump in flow communication with the hose
Implementation Method 2
a regulator controlled to regulate a flow of fluid from the hose to the dispensing pipe
Implementation Method 3
A monitoring device may be disposed on the delivery apparatus to monitor for fire conditions in the area
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of dispensing fluids such as fire suppressant include a fire suppressant delivery system having at least one fire suppressant delivery apparatus. The fire suppressant delivery apparatus includes a tower member, at least one dispensing mechanism mounted to the tower member and operable to adjust at least one of a dispensing angle relative to a horizontal plane and a dispensing angle circumferentially about the tower member, at least one fire monitoring device mounted to the tower member and operable to detect fire, and a flow regulator automatically operable to control flow of a fire suppressant to the at least one dispensing mechanism in response to fire detected by the at least one fire monitoring device.