Hot-Melt Cap Fire Suppression for Vehicle Battery Gas Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire extinguishing devices for electrical storage devices in vehicles are expensive and require regular maintenance, necessitating a simpler and more reliable actuation mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A fire extinguishing device with a cap and bottle containing extinguishing gas, where the cap is secured with a heat-meltable piercing device that breaks the closure seal and ensures hermeticity, using a combination of hot-melt and heat-resistant materials to release gas upon temperature activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a needle actuated by melting of a heat-sensitive member is used to pierce the closing cap, then the gas release actuation is achieved, but the device becomes expensive and requires regular maintenance and servicing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heat-sensitive member from the system by using a cap made entirely of heat-meltable material. The cap itself becomes the sensing and actuating element, eliminating the need for separate needles and heat-sensitive members. This reduces device complexity and maintenance requirements while maintaining reliable gas release actuation through thermal runaway conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into the cap structure: sealing function, sensing function, and actuating function. The cap integrates the piercing device and closing cap functionality into a single component that responds to thermal conditions. This merging eliminates separate maintenance components and simplifies the overall device structure.
2Ease of operation
If multiple components are used for actuation, then the gas release function is achieved, but the number of parts increases and simplification is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the piercing device and closing cap into a single integrated cap component made of heat-meltable material. This single component performs sealing, sensing, and actuating functions, reducing the number of parts while maintaining effective gas release operation during thermal runaway events.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap is designed as a multi-functional element that simultaneously provides hermetic sealing under normal conditions and automatic piercing/gas release during thermal runaway. The same component serves as both the closure and the actuating mechanism, eliminating the need for separate parts and simplifying the overall device.
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 device provides a cost-effective and maintenance-free solution by mechanically actuating gas release, ensuring hermeticity during normal conditions and effective fire suppression when temperature exceeds the melting point of the piercing device.
Implementation Method 1
the piercing device is made of an at least partially heat-meltable material, the cap being capable of being secured to the bottle in such a way that the piercing device breaks the closing cap of said bottle
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device (2) for extinguishing a fire inside an electric storage device (1) of a vehicle, the extinguishing device (2) comprising at least one cap (10) and a cylinder (12) containing at least one gas for extinguishing the fire, the cylinder (12) comprising a closing seal (20) and defining a space (14) containing the gas, the cap (10) comprising at least one puncturing device (22) and a base (24) provided with an apertured wall (26), the puncturing device (22) being capable of breaking the closing seal (20) of the cylinder (12) whilst maintaining its air-tightness.