Fire extinguishing system for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11660481-B2
Application number	US-202117142387-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2021
Priority date	Jul 20, 2020
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

A fire extinguishing system for a vehicle includes: a fire sensing line arranged in a predetermined space of the vehicle to output a fire sensing signal as an electrical signal when a fire is sensed; a controller configured to output a control signal for spraying a fire extinguishing agent when the fire sensing signal from the fire sensing unit is input; a fire extinguishing agent cylinder configured to discharge the fire extinguishing agent filling an inside thereof in response to the control signal output from the controller; and a spray nozzle assembly arranged in the predetermined space of the vehicle and configured to spray the fire extinguishing agent supplied from the fire extinguishing agent cylinder through a fire extinguishing agent hose.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fire extinguishing system for a vehicle, the fire extinguishing system comprising:
a fire sensing line arranged in a predetermined space of the vehicle to output a fire sensing signal as an electrical signal when a fire is sensed;
a controller configured to output a control signal for spraying a fire extinguishing agent when the fire sensing signal from the fire sensing unit is input;
a fire extinguishing agent cylinder configured to be operated to discharge the fire extinguishing agent filling an inside of the fire extinguishing agent cylinder in response to the control signal outputted from the controller; and
a spray nozzle assembly arranged in the predetermined space of the vehicle and configured to spray the fire extinguishing agent supplied from the fire extinguishing agent cylinder through a fire extinguishing agent hose,
wherein the fire sensing line comprises:
a tube comprising a first hollow part and a second hollow part extending in a length direction of the tube;
two electrically conductive wires disposed along the first hollow part to be respectively covered with a covering material to be electrically isolated from each other, and configured to be short-circuited when a current is applied thereto and configured to input a short-circuit signal as the fire sensing signal to the controller;
a coil configured to receive a current, and arranged in the length direction of the tube inside or outside the tube;
a magneto-rheological (MR) fluid configured to fill an inside of the second hollow part of the tube; and
an outer conduit disposed to surround the tube, and

wherein the current applied to the two electrically conductive wires and the current received by the coil are controlled and supplied, respectively, by the controller.

2. The fire extinguishing system of claim 1 , wherein the first hollow part and the second hollow part are defined to be parallel with each other within the tube.

3. The fire extinguishing system of claim 1 , wherein the coil is disposed within the second hollow part filled with the MR fluid to spirally surround the two electrically conductive wires.

4. The fire extinguishing system of claim 1 , wherein the coil is configured to be spirally wound on an outer circumferential surface of the tube, and is located in a space between the tube and the outer conduit.

5. The fire extinguishing system of claim 1 , wherein the tube comprises an inner tube, and an outer tube disposed outside the inner tube,
wherein a sealed space is defined between the inner tube and the outer tube to be configured as the second hollow part that is filled with the MR fluid.

6. The fire extinguishing system of claim 5 , wherein the first hollow part is defined in the inner tube.

7. The fire extinguishing system of claim 5 , wherein at least one third hollow part corresponding to an empty space extending in the length direction of the tube is defined in the inner tube.

8. The fire extinguishing system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control a magnitude of the current received by the coil.

9. The fire extinguishing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an air tank configured to store compressed air; and
an air hose configured to connect the air tank to the fire extinguishing agent cylinder,
wherein the fire extinguishing agent cylinder is configured to discharge the fire extinguishing agent by the compressed air supplied from the air tank through the air hose.

10. The fire extinguishing system of claim 9 , wherein the fire extinguishing agent cylinder comprises an inlet valve arranged at an inlet of the fire extinguishing agent cylinder connected to the air hose, the inlet valve configured to be opened to supply the compressed air from the air hose to an inside of the fire extinguishing agent cylinder through the inlet in response to the control signal output from the controller.

11. The fire extinguishing system of claim 10 , wherein the fire extinguishing agent cylinder further comprises an outlet valve arranged at an outlet of the fire extinguishing agent cylinder connected to the fire extinguishing agent hose, the outlet valve configured to be opened to discharge the fire extinguishing agent stored in the fire extinguishing agent cylinder to the fire extinguishing agent hose through the outlet depending on a pressure state of the fire extinguishing agent in the fire extinguishing agent cylinder.

12. The fire extinguishing system of claim 9 , wherein the fire extinguishing agent cylinder comprises:
a fire extinguishing agent tank filled with the fire extinguishing agent and comprising:
an inlet port connected to the air hose so that the compressed air is supplied to the fire extinguishing agent tank therethrough; and
an outlet port connected to the fire extinguishing agent hose so that the fire extinguishing agent is discharged from the fire extinguishing agent tank therethrough; and

a piston arranged to divide an inner space of the fire extinguishing agent tank into an air chamber, to which the compressed air is supplied, and a fire extinguishing agent chamber, to which the fire extinguishing agent is supplied, the piston configured to move by the compressed air supplied to the air chamber to pressurize the fire extinguishing agent filling the fire extinguishing agent chamber to discharge the fire extinguishing agent through the outlet port.

13. The fire extinguishing system of claim 12 , wherein the fire extinguishing agent tank comprises:
a main body serving as an inner tube configured such that the piston is arranged therein and having both ends open;
a protective cover serving as an outer tube spaced apart from an outer surface of the main body by a designated interval to surround the main body, and having both ends open; and
an inlet cap and an outlet cap coupled to the respective ends of the protective cover to seal the main body.

14. The fire extinguishing system of claim 13 , wherein an insulator is disposed in a space between the main body and the protective cover.

15. The fire extinguishing system of claim 13 , wherein the inlet cap comprises an air discharge port connected to the air chamber in an inner space of the main body,
wherein the outlet cap comprises a filling port connected to the fire extinguishing agent chamber of the inner space of the main body, and
wherein a plug for sealing is detachably coupled to each of the air discharge port and the filling port.

16. The fire extinguishing system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined space of the vehicle is configured as an engine compartment.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Kang Kyung Wan

Classifications

• A62C35/023

  the extinguishing material being expelled by compressed gas, taken from storage tanks, or by generating a pressure gas (for foam generation A62C5/02) · CPC title

• G08B17/00

  Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion · CPC title

• H01B9/003 Primary

  including electrical control or communication wires · CPC title

• H01B7/0208

  Cables with several layers of insulating material · CPC title

• F02B77/08

  Safety, indicating, or supervising devices (thermal insulation F02B77/11; monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus F01N11/00) · CPC title