Deployable Vehicle Fire Blanket for Early Targeted Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fire suppression systems in vehicle environments often fail to detect fires early enough to prevent their spread and do not effectively target the vehicle on fire, leading to uncontrolled fire growth and potential damage to surrounding vehicles and infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
A deployable vehicle covering system with inflatable fingers, a fluid inlet, and a mounting point, integrated with sensors and a computer processor to detect fire conditions and automatically or manually deploy a fire-resistant blanket to envelop the vehicle, enhancing targeted fire suppression and containment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fire sprinkler system is used in a building, then fire suppression coverage is provided, but the system cannot specifically target individual vehicles and responds only after smoke is detected, allowing fire to spread
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the fire suppression function into individual vehicle-specific units. Each vehicle is equipped with its own fire detection and suppression system, allowing independent targeting and response. This segmentation enables the system to address fires at the source before they spread to other vehicles or areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection and response actions before fire spread occurs. By monitoring each vehicle individually and having suppression mechanisms ready at each location, the system can intervene early in the fire development process, preventing escalation before broad suppression is needed.
2Area of stationary object
If a broad fire sprinkler system is deployed, then area-wide fire containment is attempted, but the system cannot specifically target the vehicle on fire, reducing containment effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies fire suppression locally at the specific vehicle level rather than broadly across the entire area. Each vehicle has its own targeted suppression capability, allowing precise application of suppressant materials directly at the fire source, which increases containment effectiveness compared to area-wide dispersion.
Solution Approach 2:
The fire suppression system is segmented into independent vehicle-specific units, each capable of autonomous detection and response. This allows the system to concentrate suppression effort precisely where needed rather than dispersing resources broadly, improving the reliability of containment for each individual fire event.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If smoke detection is used to trigger fire suppression, then fire detection is achieved, but by the time smoke is detected, the fire has already grown to a severity level that is difficult to contain
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection and preparation before smoke is generated. Each vehicle is equipped with sensors and suppression mechanisms in advance, allowing the system to detect early fire indicators and initiate suppression before smoke production occurs, thereby preventing fire growth to uncontrollable levels.
Solution Approach 2:
Each vehicle essentially serves its own fire detection and suppression needs through integrated sensors and onboard suppression capabilities. This self-service approach allows immediate local response without waiting for centralized detection and activation, reducing the time lag between fire occurrence and suppression action.
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 system provides early fire suppression by automatically deploying a fire-resistant blanket to contain vehicle fires, reducing the risk of fire spread and protecting adjacent vehicles and infrastructure.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of inflatable fingers are integrally formed with the second side of the blanket. The fluid inlet is configured to facilitate a flow of fluid into the plurality of inflatable fingers.
Implementation Method 2
The blanket includes a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side having fire-retardant properties and configured to interface with a vehicle.
Data Source
AI summary
A fire suppression system includes a deployable vehicle covering having a center portion. The deployable vehicle covering includes a blanket, a plurality of inflatable fingers, a fluid inlet, and a mounting point. The blanket includes fire-retardant properties and is configured to interface with a vehicle. The plurality of inflatable fingers are integrally formed with the blanket. The fluid inlet is configured to facilitate a flow of fluid into the plurality of inflatable fingers. The mounting point is configured to fix the center portion of the deploy able vehicle covering above the vehicle. The fire suppression system also includes at least one sensor, a wireless communication device, and a computer processor. The computer processor is configured to execute operations of the deployable vehicle covering in response to data received from the at least one sensor and the wireless communication device.