Unmanned vehicle, system, and method for initiating a fire extinguishing action

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11009877-B2
Application number	US-201716316584-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2017
Priority date	Jul 12, 2016
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

An unmanned vehicle for initiating a fire extinguishing action, the vehicle having: a vehicle sensor unit for detecting a fire parameter KF of a vehicle monitoring region, a vehicle communication unit for receiving an instruction signal SI representing a detected fire, a target location and/or a target region, and a navigation control unit for navigating the vehicle to the target location based on the instruction signal SI. The vehicle is: configured for detecting the fire parameter KF in the form of a verification fire parameter KV of the fire detector monitoring region at the target location by the vehicle sensor unit, configured for determining a verification fire status ZV by evaluating the verification fire parameter KV, and designed and/or configured for initiating a fire extinguishing action if the verification fire status ZV was determined. A system with such a vehicle and a corresponding method are also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for initiating a fire extinguishing action, comprising:
a central unit having a central fire alarm system and/or a stationary fire detector,
a vehicle including:
a vehicle sensor unit that is designed for detecting a fire parameter K F of a vehicle monitoring region,
a vehicle communication unit for a signal exchange with the central unit having the central fire alarm system, or with the stationary fire detector, wherein the vehicle communication unit is designed for receiving an instruction signal S I that represents a detected fire status Z R for a fire detector monitoring region of the stationary fire detector, and a target location and/or a target region, and
a navigation control unit for navigating the vehicle to the target location and/or to the target region, in an autonomous manner, based on the received instruction signal S I ,
wherein the vehicle is configured for detecting the fire parameter K F in the form of a verification fire parameter K V of the fire monitoring region, at the target location or in the target region of the vehicle sensor unit, configured for determining a verification fire status Z V by evaluating the verification fire parameter K V , and designed and/or configured for initiating a fire extinguishing action if the verification fire status K V was determined;
wherein the vehicle comprises a first signal communication unit that contains the vehicle communication unit of the vehicle, the central unit comprises a second signal communication unit that is designed for producing a wireless signal link to the first signal communication unit of the vehicle, and the central unit and/or the stationary fire detector is designed for transmitting the corresponding instruction signal S I to the vehicle; and
wherein the fire detector comprises a fire detector sensor unit that is designed for detecting a reference fire parameter K R of a predefined fire detector monitoring region, wherein the fire detector is designed for determining a reference fire status Z R by evaluating the reference fire parameter K R , wherein the fire detector is designed for transmitting a fire detector signal S B , which represents the reference fire status Z R , to the central unit, wherein the central unit is configured for transmitting an instruction signal S I to the vehicle if the fire detector signal S B transmitted by the fire detector represents a reference fire status Z R that requires verification, wherein the instruction signal S I represents at least the target location for the vehicle, wherein the vehicle monitoring region sufficiently overlaps with the fire detector monitoring region when the vehicle is at the target location, and wherein a measuring principle of the fire detector sensor unit and a measuring principle of the vehicle sensor unit differ.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is configured for determining the reference fire status Z R in the form of a verified reference fire status Z VR if the reference fire status Z R and the verification fire status Z V at least sufficiently match, and wherein the vehicle is designed and/or configured for initiating a fire extinguishing action if the reference fire status Z R was determined in the form of a verified reference fire status Z VR .

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is realized in the form of a land craft, a robotic vehicle, an aircraft, or a drone.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle comprises a fire extinguishing unit for extinguishing a fire, wherein the vehicle is designed for carrying out a fire extinguishing action with the aid of the fire extinguishing unit.

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the fire extinguishing unit comprises a nozzle, which is designed for discharging and spraying an extinguishing medium for extinguishing a fire.

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the fire extinguishing unit comprises an externally accessible output connector for making available extinguishing medium, wherein said output connector can be coupled to a mating connector of a stationary extinguishing device in order to make available extinguishing medium to the stationary extinguishing device.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is designed for determining the location of a fire by the vehicle sensor unit at the target location.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the vehicle is designed for autonomously navigating to an optimal location for discharging extinguishing medium based on the location of the fire.

9. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the fire extinguishing unit comprises a detachable extinguishing medium container, in which extinguishing medium is stored, and/or the fire extinguishing unit comprises an extinguishing medium production device for producing the extinguishing medium.

10. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the fire extinguishing unit comprises an externally accessible input connector, which can be coupled to a mating connector of a stationary extinguishing medium source, such that extinguishing medium can be conveyed from the extinguishing medium source to the vehicle to the corresponding fire extinguishing unit.

11. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the navigation control unit is designed for navigating the vehicle to an extinguishing medium container depot, in which at least one extinguishing medium container that can be coupled to the vehicle by a coupling device is held available, in a controlled manner based on navigation data.

12. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the central unit is designed for transmitting navigation control signals from the central unit to the vehicle, the vehicle is designed and/or configured for navigating based on the transmitted navigation control signals, and the central unit is designed for navigating the vehicle in a remote-controlled manner by transmitting navigation control signals to the vehicle.

13. An unmanned vehicle for initiating a fire extinguishing action, comprising:
a vehicle sensor unit that is designed for detecting a fire parameter K F of a vehicle monitoring region,
a vehicle communication unit for a signal exchange with a central unit having a central fire alarm system, or with a stationary fire detector, wherein the vehicle communication unit is designed for receiving an instruction signal S I that represents a reference fire status Z R for a fire detector monitoring region of the stationary fire detector, and a target location and/or a target region, and
a navigation control unit,
wherein the navigation control unit is designed for navigating the vehicle to the target location and/or to the target region, preferably in an autonomous manner, based on the received instruction signal S I ,
wherein the vehicle is configured for detecting the fire parameter K F in the form of a verification fire parameter K V of the fire monitoring region, at the target location or in the target region by the vehicle sensor unit, configured for determining a verification fire status Z V by evaluating the verification fire parameter K V , and designed and/or configured for initiating a fire extinguishing action if the verification fire status K V was determined,
wherein the vehicle comprises a fire extinguishing unit for extinguishing a fire, wherein the vehicle is designed for carrying out a fire extinguishing action with the aid of the fire extinguishing unit,
wherein the fire extinguishing unit comprises a nozzle, which is designed for discharging and spraying an extinguishing medium for extinguishing a fire, and an externally accessible out

Assignees

• Minimax Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Hofmann Klaus
• Boeke Joachim
• Lenkeit Kurt
• Kuhlenkamp Ingo

Classifications

• A62C31/02

  Nozzles specially adapted for fire-extinguishing · CPC title

• A62C3/002

  for warehouses, storage areas or other installations for storing goods · CPC title

• A62C3/0292

  by spraying extinguishants directly into the fire (A62C3/0242 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A62C3/0221

  for tunnels · CPC title

• A62C3/0242

  by spraying extinguishants from the aircraft (spraying from aircraft in general B64D1/16) · CPC title