Fire Extinguishing Ball with Dual Cage Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fire-fighting devices are cumbersome, costly, and difficult to deploy in inaccessible or hard-to-reach areas, posing hazards to firefighters and being unsuitable for localized fires in places like ducts and wires.
Innovation Solution
A fire extinguishing ball with an outer and inner ball cage and an internal fire extinguishing assembly containing compressed gas and agents, where the valve assembly opens with heat to disperse contents, allowing safe deployment and operation from a distance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fire hoses and extinguishers are used, then firefighters can reach and extinguish fires, but firefighters face hazards such as smoke, backdrafts, falling debris, and physical danger
Solution Approach 1:
The fire extinguishing ball serves as an intermediary device that delivers fire-extinguishing agents to the fire without requiring firefighters to physically approach the hazard. The ball is tossed or rolled into difficult-to-reach areas and automatically activates upon contact with heat, eliminating the need for firefighter proximity to dangerous zones
Solution Approach 2:
The fire extinguishing ball is designed to activate automatically upon contact with heat, eliminating the need for manual operation by firefighters. The heat-sensitive mechanism self-activates the discharge of fire-extinguishing agents, making the system self-serving and removing firefighters from direct exposure to hazards
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional fire hoses are used, then fires can be extinguished, but the hose cannot reach difficult to reach areas such as ducts and wires
Solution Approach 1:
The fire extinguishing system is segmented into a compact, portable ball-shaped device that can be independently deployed to various locations. This segmentation allows the fire-extinguishing agent to be delivered to inaccessible areas like ducts and wires without requiring extensive hose infrastructure or complex deployment equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from linear hose-based delivery to three-dimensional ballistic/rolling delivery. The ball can be tossed or rolled into hard-to-reach areas, utilizing spatial dimensions and trajectories that conventional hoses cannot access, thereby expanding the reachable volume for fire suppression
3Reliability
If conventional fire extinguishers are used, then fires can be extinguished, but the device is heavy and cumbersome requiring much physical effort to carry and operate
Solution Approach 1:
The fire extinguishing ball is designed as a lightweight, disposable device that is tossed or rolled into the fire and activated automatically. This eliminates the need for heavy, rechargeable extinguishers that require physical effort to carry and operate, while maintaining fire-extinguishing effectiveness through the use of sufficient fire-extinguishing agents contained in the compact ball
4Adaptability or versatility
If explosive devices containing fire-extinguishing agents are used, then fires in inaccessible areas can be reached, but the devices are costly and difficult to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The fire extinguishing ball uses simple, inexpensive materials and construction methods compared to explosive devices. The ball consists of a container, fire-extinguishing agents, and a heat-sensitive activation mechanism, avoiding the complex safety requirements and specialized materials needed for explosive devices while achieving similar delivery to inaccessible areas
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the explosive mechanical system with a heat-sensitive activation system. Instead of using explosion to disperse fire-extinguishing agents, the ball uses heat from the fire to trigger automatic discharge, eliminating the need for complex explosive safety mechanisms and specialized manufacturing processes
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 fire extinguishing ball provides a lightweight, economical, and effective means to extinguish fires in inaccessible areas by dispersing agents over a wide area, minimizing physical effort and risk to firefighters.
Implementation Method 1
Exposure to heat opens the valve in the valve assembly to thereby disperse the contents of the body
Data Source
AI summary
The fire extinguishing ball includes an outer ball cage, an inner ball cage freely rotatable within the outer ball cage about one axis, and an internal fire extinguishing assembly carried by the inner ball cage and freely rotatable therein about a different axis. The internal fire extinguishing assembly includes a hollow ball-shaped body containing compressed gas and fire extinguishing agents. A valve assembly attached to the top of the body permits refilling of the body and dispersion of the contents during operation. The internal fire extinguishing assembly is connected to the inner ball cage so that the valve assembly will be disposed on top when the fire extinguishing ball is at rest. The ball can be tossed or rolled towards fires in difficult to reach areas. Exposure to heat opens the valve in the valve assembly to thereby disperse the contents of the body and extinguish the flames.