Modular Vehicle Fire Ports for Faster Interior Fire Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modular vehicles face challenges in efficiently suppressing fires due to their reconfigurable nature, making it difficult to access and extinguish fires that often start deep inside the vehicle.
Innovation Solution
A fire extinguishing assistance system with multiple ports and individual manifolds connected to nozzles, controlled by a system that detects fires and directs extinguishing agents through the most efficient route to the fire location, ensuring rapid and effective suppression.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single port system is used for fire extinguishing, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to target fires at different locations efficiently deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The fire extinguishing system is divided into multiple ports (first port, second port, third port) distributed at different locations on the vehicle, each connected to manifolds that can deliver extinguishing agent to specific fire locations. This segmentation allows firefighters to access the most appropriate port based on fire location, significantly improving suppression efficiency while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design.
2Productivity
If multiple ports are provided for fire extinguishing agent access, then the fire suppression efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple ports are designed with identical or similar structures and functions, each capable of receiving fire extinguishing agents and connecting to the manifold system. This multi-functionality approach improves fire suppression efficiency by providing multiple access points while controlling complexity through standardization - each port serves the same purpose but at different locations, allowing firefighters to choose the most effective access point.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates dynamic selection capability where the control device can identify fire location and automatically select or guide firefighters to the most appropriate port for effective suppression. This dynamic adaptation optimizes the use of multiple ports, ensuring that the system's complexity translates into actual performance benefits rather than just added complexity.
3Device complexity
If manual port selection is required, then the system simplicity is maintained, but the response time and effectiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The control device receives information about fire location (from detectors or firefighter input) and uses this feedback to automatically select the most appropriate port for suppression. This feedback loop eliminates the need for manual port selection, significantly reducing response time while adding only minimal control system complexity through automated decision-making algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-selection of the appropriate port based on fire location data, eliminating the need for firefighter judgment and manual selection. The control device automatically determines which port will provide the most effective suppression path and configures the system accordingly, saving critical time during fire emergencies while maintaining simple operation for the firefighter.
4Ease of operation
If ports are distributed throughout the vehicle, then the accessibility to deep interior fires is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The fire extinguishing system is segmented into modular components (ports, manifolds, nozzles) that can be independently manufactured and then assembled into the vehicle. Ports are distributed at different locations including accessible exterior positions and interior positions, with each module manufactured separately and integrated during vehicle assembly, improving accessibility while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The fire extinguishing system components are nested within the vehicle's modular architecture, with ports and manifolds integrated into the existing vehicle structure. The system utilizes the vehicle's modular design, nesting the fire suppression infrastructure within the body framework, which simplifies manufacturing by leveraging existing assembly processes rather than requiring separate complex installation procedures.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4A~5
AI summary
A fire extinguishing assistance system (10), arranged in a modular vehicle (1), for assisting e.g. a fire extinguishing vehicle (400) in extinguishing an ongoing or imminent fire in the modular vehicle (1). The modular vehicle (1) comprises at least one drive module (30) and a functional module (40) that are releasably connected. The extinguishing assistance system (10) comprises a plurality of ports (11, 12, 13) accessible from the outside of the modular vehicle (1); wherein each port (11, 12, 13) is configured for receiving a fire extinguishing agent from e.g. the fire extinguishing vehicle (400). The system (10) also comprises an individual manifold (61, 62, 63) connected to each port (11, 12, 13), wherein each individual manifold (61, 62, 63) is arranged to guide the fire extinguishing agent received via the port (11, 12, 13) and further to at least one nozzle (71) directed in the inside of the modular vehicle (1). The system (10) further comprises a control device (200, 300) configured to detect an ongoing or imminent fire in the vehicle (1), and configure at least one of the plurality of ports (11, 12, 13) selected for receiving a fire extinguishing agent to the ongoing or imminent fire, to assist in suppressing the fire