Vehicle Fire Suppression Docking Unit for Engine Room Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fire suppression methods for vehicles, especially buses, are inadequate as they require opening the flap door to access the engine room, which can spread the fire and endanger firefighters, and small fire extinguishers are insufficient for large fires.
Innovation Solution
A fire suppression apparatus with a docking unit on the exterior panel of the vehicle allows connection of a fire-fighting hose or spray nozzle without opening the flap door, enabling direct water supply to the engine room to extinguish fires efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the flap door is opened to spray fire-fighting water into the engine room, then the fire can be extinguished, but a large amount of air is instantaneously introduced into the engine room causing the fire to rapidly spread and endangering the firefighter
Solution Approach 1:
A docking unit is introduced as an intermediary component between the exterior environment and the engine room interior. This docking unit includes a connection interface that accepts fire-fighting hoses, allowing water to be supplied to the engine room through the supply pipe without opening the flap door. The docking unit acts as a mediator that enables fire suppression while maintaining the hermetic seal of the engine room, thus preventing air intake and fire spread.
Solution Approach 2:
The fire suppression system is segmented into separate functional components: the docking unit (with connection interface and hole), the supply pipe (internal conduit), and the nozzle assembly (water delivery mechanism). This segmentation allows the system to deliver fire-fighting water through dedicated pathways without requiring access to the engine room interior, thereby maintaining the integrity of the engine room seal while enabling effective fire suppression.
2Ease of operation
If a small fire extinguisher is used to suppress fire in the vehicle, then it is portable and easy to operate, but it is insufficient for large fires and cannot quickly suppress fire outbreaks
Solution Approach 1:
The docking unit serves multiple functions: it acts as a connection interface for fire-fighting hoses, provides structural support for the supply pipe, and enables both small-scale (portable extinguisher) and large-scale (hose-connected) fire suppression operations. This multi-functionality allows the system to accommodate different fire scenarios while maintaining ease of operation through the standardized connection interface.
3Reliability
If the engine room is hermetically closed by the flap door, then the engine room is protected from external elements, but it becomes impossible to sprinkle fire-fighting water to the engine room without opening the flap door
Solution Approach 1:
The docking unit and supply pipe system serve as intermediaries that bridge the hermetically sealed engine room and the exterior environment. These components enable the transmission of fire-fighting water through the sealed barrier without compromising the seal integrity, thus maintaining both protection and accessibility simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes hydraulic principles to deliver fire-fighting water through the supply pipe from the docking unit to the nozzle assembly inside the engine room. This hydraulic pathway allows water to be transported through the sealed engine room boundary without opening the flap door, maintaining both hermetic sealing and fire suppression capability.
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
This solution allows for quick and safe fire suppression within the vehicle's engine room without exposing firefighters to danger, effectively containing the fire and preventing its spread.
Implementation Method 1
a supply pipe having a first end connected to the docking unit; and a nozzle assembly arranged in the interior space in the vehicle and connected to a second end of the supply pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A fire suppression apparatus for a vehicle includes: a docking unit disposed on an exterior panel of a vehicle body, the exterior panel configured to cover an interior space of the vehicle wherein the docking unit comprises a hole through which a fire-fighting hose or a spray nozzle, which is connected to the fire-fighting hose, for supply of fire-fighting water pass to be coupled to the docket unit; a supply pipe having a first end connected to the docking unit; and a nozzle assembly arranged in the interior space in the vehicle and connected to a second end of the supply pipe, the nozzle assembly being configured to spray the fire-fighting water, which is supplied through the supply pipe from the fire-fighting hose or the spray nozzle, in order to respond to the outbreak of a fire in the interior space of the vehicle.