Patent Application
20080289832
Fire-fighting devices in general use at present are subject to numerous limiting factors with respect to their cost of acquisition, placement, storage, deployment for fire-fighting, or fire suppression, and other factors. By their nature, they may require periodic inspection by qualified, knowledgeable persons, training or esoterically detailed familiarity in their use, are typically bulky and/or require, as centralized sensing and extinguishing systems, extensive, expensive installation to afford the protection they are designed to provide.
A fixed installation of fire fighting, such as a sprinkler system, is subject to high installation costs, and may fail to effectively fight fires due to limited water supplies, sedimentary clogging of water supply piping, or failure to install sprinkler heads with sufficient coverage areas throughout an facility, among other factors. Sprinkler systems are designed to protect the integrity of the building and not the occupants or contents inside the premises.
As a result, there have been attempts in developing small fire fighting devices both manual as well as automatically activated so as to overcome such limitations. One of the commonly known devices is a pressurized dry chemical extinguisher, which is relatively heavy due to the prerequisite of its pressurized container. This device is relatively bulky in size and thus a limited number are typically available at a particular location. In use, it requires user's good judgment and courage to direct the stream of chemical spray toward the fire making the device's efficiency user dependent. That is, the device is only effective with a user with good physical and mental state during an emergency. In addition, due to its limitation in number, there may be only one extinguisher in the entire building or on each floor. Thus, in the event of a fire, access to the device may not be possible if there is a fire between the device and the user.
Automatic or self-explosive fire suppressing devices are also known. These devices have demonstrated good efficiency in controlling a localized blaze. Still, these devices have also shown limitations in costs either in manufacturing or acquisition, and method of deployment. Most importantly, in some devices, the dispersal pattern of the chemical can be less than uniform or ideal which reduces the device's effectiveness in controlling the fire. It also known in the industry that residue of fire extinguishing media can cause damages to properties adjacent to the fire, if the fire extinguishing media comes in contact with them during fire suppression, even though these properties may not be destroyed by the fire. In addition, in some devices the force of explosion releases hazardous flying debris.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,063 disclosed a thermo-controlled, self-explosive fire extinguisher which comprises a container contained fire extinguishing agents therein. The fire extinguishing agent expands when hot and the container explodes when it's inside pressure surpasses a predetermined level, causing the fire extinguishing agent to be spread out widely. One of the drawbacks of this device is that the blast does not produce uniform coverage of the fire extinguishing agent into a specific area as intended. In addition, is the fact that the device is designed to be installed on the ceiling. In order for the fire extinguishing agent to expand, there must be a rise in the ambient room temperature. This means that the fire must have been substantially large to cause such effect, accordingly, a substantial damage to the property has already been done before the activation of the device. Another drawback is that if more than one device is installed in the room, there is a likelihood that the rise in the room temperature will activate all the devices at the same time even if fire did not reach that particular section of the room, property in those section of the room unaffected by fire would also then have a potential to be damaged by the fire extinguishing agent
U.S. Pat. No. 6,796,382 disclosed an explosive-type fire extinguishing ball of which fire extinguishing materials are contained in the containment vessel and an explosive device is contained within the containment vessel, whereby activation of the explosive device breaks the containment vessel and disperses the fire extinguishing material with an omni-directional dispersal pattern. In addition, the invention is intended to be projected by hand, e.g., tossed, rolled, dropped or otherwise delivered directly into the vicinity of a fire by hand. Thus, there is a chance that the device would keep rolling past the fire, so that the fire extinguishing agent dispersed subsequently does not help to suppress the burning fire and there is a risk of flying debris to the non-fire zone. A problem also exists where this device contains two external fuses, on opposite sides, which are internally connected thus giving the potential of sending a lit fuse from the opposite side of the detonating fuse section to an area which is not on fire thus creating another fire hazard.
Therefore, there is a need for an automatic explosive-type fire suppressing devices that is economic to install, inexpensive to acquire, safe and easy to operate and efficiently delivers the fire extinguishing agents directionally into the fire so as to effectively suppress a localized fire and to minimize potential damage caused by excess dry fire extinguishing media.
An automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device includes a container formed from two complimentary sections comprising a shield and a base; a fire extinguishing agent contained within the container; and an explosive charge assembly contained within the container. A portion of the shield is extended outward at an angle forming a skirt such that activation of the explosive charge within the container shatters the base and the fire extinguishing agent is dispersed downward within a range of angles controlled by the skirt to extinguish or suppress a fire.
The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of the principles described herein and are a part of the specification. The illustrated embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.
The present disclosure relates to fire extinguishing devices. In particular, the disclosure relates to a device that is automatically activated and directionally disperses fire extinguishing agent downward to extinguish or suppress localized fire.
Consequently, the present disclosure described, among other things, an automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device comprising; a container formed from two complimentary half sections featured as a shield and a frangible base; a fire extinguishing agent contained within the said container; and an explosive charge assembly contained within the said container; wherein a portion of the shield is extended outward at an angle forming into a skirt, whereby activation of the explosive charge contained within the said container shatters the frangible base; and by the aid of the skirt, the fire extinguishing agent is directionally dispersed downward to extinguish or suppress a fire.
This provides an inexpensive, safe, easy to operate fire suppression device, which, while being of the explosive-type, is designed for stationary protection of designated objects or areas and upon activation of the device, the fire extinguishing agent is automatically and specifically directed downward to the designated objects or areas reducing potential damages to property adjacent to the fire caused by the residue of the fire extinguishing agent.
The present disclosure describes, among other things, embodiments of a fire suppression device designed for stationary protection of specific objects or areas designated as high fire hazard locations such as electrical circuitry, power equipment and battery supplies in a computer, electrical, telecom or electronics room, etc. The device can be used situated above these locations such that upon activation of the device the fire extinguishing agent is delivered specifically to the location which causes the device to activate and effectively suppress fire at its initial stage reducing the possibility of the residue of the fire extinguishing agent causing damages to the adjacent equipment or entire room as in the traditional multi-purpose, omni-directional fire extinguishing devices or systems.
The exemplary devices according to the present disclosure can be used in a building interior or localized exterior locations that are high fire risk areas and, through the device design, the device has little effect on aesthetic appearance of the location. The device can be installed as a stand alone device at the designated area throughout the premises where large scale fire protection is not available due to economic constraints. The device can also be installed as a complimentary system to the traditional fire extinguishing device or systems. This applies to large industrial applications as well as smaller private properties or even to the home owner whereby the device according to the present disclosure is installed in a high fire risk location in addition to the existing fire extinguishing devices or systems.
Various embodiments of an exemplary automatic explosive-type fire suppression device according to the present disclosure may include following features:
In an exemplary embodiment of the automatic explosive-type fire suppression device described herein, the container comprises two complimentary half section features as a base and a directional shield.
The base being a non-hazardous single hemi-spherical shape made of a light weight, low density, rigid material which provides ideal fragmentation and uniform blast pattern. The base is prepared with an opening so as to allow the fuse of the explosive assembly to be threaded through as well as to accept the fire extinguishing agents to be filled into the container during the assembly of the device. A plug of the corresponding size and shape is also provided to close the opening after the assembly is completed.
The shield is also a hemi-spherical shape corresponding to the base so as to accept engagement of the base to the shield to form a complete container. The shield made of a molded lightweight material with high density that is heat resistant and strong enough to contain the explosive force without deforming and is configured such that during explosion the shield directs the fire extinguishing agent toward the designated downward direction.
The explosive charge assembly contains a fuse placed inside the container in a vertical direction having the first end of the fuse secured to the shield and the second end of the fuse extending through the opening prepared in the base and secured externally. In an event of a fire, the fuse is ignited and causes the detonation of the explosive charge and in turn causes the base to burst dispersing the fire extinguishing agent downward onto the fire.
The bracket assembly comprising a main body for securing the assembly by mounting to a structure such as a wall, a mounting ring, having a ring size corresponding to the size of the base, extends from the body and a pair of braces set across the ring to support mounting of the container into the bracket assembly.
In installation, the bracket assembly is located at the designated area for which fire protection is desired. The complete assembly of the container with the fire extinguishing agent and the explosive charge assembly contained therein is positioned into the bracket assembly such that the shield section is vertically positioned on top and the base section in the bottom of the mounting ring. The shield is positioned above the mounting ring having the edge portion of the shield meet with mounting so as to permit securing the shield to the bracket assembly to prevent unintentional removal of the device. In an event of a fire, the fuse is ignited and causes the explosion of the explosive charge and in turn causes the base to explode dispersing the fire extinguishing agent into the fire.
In another embodiment of the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device according to the present disclosure, the shield is configured with an external support ring independent from the bracket which aids in attaching the base to the shield. In this embodiment, a set of braces are included and are attached to the shield instead of to the mounting ring as in the previously described embodiment.
In another embodiment of the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device according to the present disclosure, the shield is provided with a locking threaded key bolt which enters through the corresponding threaded opening provided in the center of the top of the shield. The threaded key bolt has an eyelet or a hook to allow suspending the automatic explosive-type fire suppression device above the desired objection or location which fire protection is required when a wall mount is unavailable.
In another embodiment of the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device according to the present disclosure, the shield is configured into a decorative design such as a star shape while the ability to directionally and uniformly disperse the fire extinguishing agent is maintained.
In another embodiment of the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device according to the present disclosure, the base and the shield of the container may be configured to be of a different geometric shape such as a polygon or a cylinder.
In yet another embodiment of the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device according to the present disclosure, the mechanism of securing the shield to the bracket assembly to include molded insert, tie-wraps, screws, a combination of a hinge with a release pin, release pins, Velcro fastener, hook and a combination of the aforesaid and a lock key or the like. An additional mechanism of securing the shield to the bracket assembly is by an independently provided molded section of the shield which accepts a single bracket bar for stabilization instead of the wire ring for support.
In the present description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present devices and methods. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present devices and methods may be practiced without these specific details. Reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “an example” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least that one embodiment, but not necessarily in other embodiments. The various instances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or similar phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
We now refer to the drawings. As shown in
The container (200) of the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device (100) according to the present disclosure comprises two complimentary sections, i.e., the shield (205) and a base (210). The configuration of the shield (205) and the base (210) can be of a different shape, but essentially compliment one another such that the shield (205) and the base (210) can be coupled to one another by using suitable adhesive material or by means of a corresponding coupling element prepared on the rim of the shield (205) and the base (210) to form a tight and secure container (200) capable of holding a predetermined amount of a fire extinguishing agent (60) or a combination of fire extinguishing agents and the explosive charge assembly (70) contained therein.
In an exemplary embodiment of the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device (100) according to the present disclosure, as shown in
Referring to
Through molding or post molding treatments, appropriate locking elements for securing the container (200) to the bracket assembly (300) are prepared on the rim portion or on the skirt (215) of the shield (205). According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in
The base (210), as shown in
The fire extinguishing agents (60) for use with the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device (100) according to the present disclosure are such as the types that are commercially available, especially a dry power type whether in single or multiple component combination. The fire extinguishing agents (60) are filled into the container (200) with the explosive charge assembly (70) assembled therein wherein upon activation of the device the fire extinguishing agent (60) contained therein is directionally and evenly dispersed to suppress a fire.
The automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device (100) according to the present disclosure is intended to deliver the fire extinguishing agent (60) by means upon which the second end of the fuse cord (80) exposed on the base (210) is ignited and subsequently activates the explosive charge whose explosive yield would explode and shatter the base (210) dispersing the fire extinguishing agent (60) directionally toward the blaze. A common explosive charge/detonator may be used. However, it is intended that the explosive charge assembly (70) must equipped with low explosive yield, insufficient to cause injury to humans in the vicinity of explosion but with sufficient force to cause only the base (210) of the container (200) to explode releasing the fire extinguishing agent (60) contained in the container (200) into the fire,
One of the objectives of the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device (100) is to mount the container (200) on a structure such as a wall using the bracket assembly (300), an embodiment of the bracket assembly (300) is as shown in
The bracket assembly (300) for mounting the automatic directional explosive-type fire extinguishing device (100) according to the present disclosure, particularly the embodiment with the mounting ring, may be adapted for use with conventional automatic explosive-type fire suppression devices wherein the bracket assembly (300) according to the present disclosure is mounted onto a wall and the conventional automatic explosive-type fire extinguishing device is simply put inside the mounting ring (310) and cover with the shield (205) of the container according to the present disclosure.
As mentioned above, the shield (205) of the container (200) is provided with a locking threaded suspending bolt (230). Alternatively, the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device (100) can be suspended above the object or area for which fire protection is desired if a wall mounted location is unavailable or not applicable.
As mentioned above that in various embodiments, moldings (260) having mating/locking elements are made on the outer edge of the shield (205) above the skirt (215) in anticipation for receiving of various mating/locking elements such as a hinge (265), screw (270), release pin (275), Velcro strap (280) or combination of such elements as shown in FIG. 12 and a lock key (281) as shown in
Assembly of the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device (100) according to the present disclosure starts with inserting the threaded locking suspension bolt (230) through the hole (225) in the center of the top of the shield (205), the head portion (235) with an eyelet (240) remain outside the shield (205), then turn the shield (205) up side down, from the inside thread the rubber washer (245) and nut (250) over the threaded tail (235) of the threaded locking suspension bolt (230) and tighten. Secure first end (75) of the fuse of the explosive charge assembly (70) to the slot (240) of the threaded locking suspension bolt (230). Then the base (210) and the shield (205) is coupled together by using suitable adhesive materials or by means of coupling elements prepared on the rim of the shield (205) and the base (210). The assembled container (200) has a second end (80) of the fuse of the explosive charge assembly (70) threaded through the opening (285) on the base. The second end (80) of the fuse is pulled tight and the excess fuse is temporary secured with a rubber band (not shown) or adhesive materials, such as adhesive tape to ensure that the explosive charge assembly (70) inside the container (200) is held in position. A predetermined amount of fire extinguishing agent (60), preferably a dry chemical fire extinguishing/fire suppressant powder is then filled into the container (200) through the opening (285) on the base (210) until the desire weight/volume ratio for the specific container's size is reached. Then, the fitted plug (290) is inserted into the opening (285) on the base (210) with the second end of the fuse (80) secured in the groove (291) between the base (210) and fitted plug (290) and then sealed using silicon adhesive. The rubber band or the adhesive tape that was used to secure the fuse temporarily is then removed. The second end (80) of the fuse is folded over and secured into the groove (295) prepared on the external side of the fitted plug (290) of the base (210), thus the second end (80) of the fuse cord is exposed on the external side of the container (200). The excess fuse is cut leaving the remaining fuse at the desired length. Thereafter, the base (210) is sealed with a lightweight cellulose film (not shown), or like materials, making it moisture impermeable. The film materials chosen must be suitable for the place of application of the device according to the present disclosure. For example, in an environment where the gasoline or petroleum or material that is gasoline or petroleum is likely to come in contact with the device, a special type of film that would not dissolve upon contact with such materials may be used.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the automatic directional fire suppression device (100) may be installed by mounting the device to a structure such as a wall using the mounting bracket assembly (300) as shown in
The device may be positioned 15-30 cm above the device or areas to be protected. However, the fire-suppression device can also be effective if positioned outside that range. As disclosed, one of the objectives is that the automatic directional fire suppression device (100) according to the present disclosure is designed to compliment larger fire prevention systems. Thus, the device is intended to target outbreak of a small or initial fire. When the device is positioned closer to the source of fire, the device would still activate even if only a small fire occurs. Accordingly, the likelihood of damage to the property is less because the fire is put out in its early stage. In a situation where fire protection for a large object or device or zone is desired, the size of the device may be increased accordingly so as to contain a larger amount of fire extinguishing agent sufficient to suppress a larger fire. Accordingly, the device may, in some examples, be installed higher than 30 cm above the designated object, device or zone.
In the event of a fire, the blaze would ignite the second end (80) of the fuse exposed outside the container (200) and subsequently cause the explosive charge contained inside the base (210) to explode and shatter the base (210) dispersing the fire extinguishing agent (60) contained therein into the blaze and its vicinity. Advantageously, the blast pattern and downward dispersal of the fire extinguishing agent is directional. That is, the fire extinguishing agent (60) is dispersed downward directionally to the designated zone, device or object. This is the result of the configuration of the container (200) of which the shield (205) is featured with a skirt (215) whereby the angle the skirt (215) would direct a downward dispersal of the fire extinguishing agent (60) to be dispersed within the range of the angle of the skirt (215) rather than dispersing the fire extinguishing agent (60) in all directions (omni-directional) as in most conventional automatic fire extinguishing devices in which the blast pattern lacks uniformity and the residue of the fire extinguishing media tends to damage property adjacent to the fire as well. The fact that the fire extinguishing agent (60) is delivered directly toward to the blaze, the chance of successfully suppressing the burning fire is greater and the risk of damages to property from residue of fire extinguishing agent (60) is minimized.
As shown in
As disclosed, the ability to directionally deliver the fire extinguishing agent (60) to the fire lies in the skirt (215) feature of the shield (205). Accordingly, the shape and size of the shield (205) may be altered, but the spirit and the scope of principles of the disclosure is maintained as long as the skirt (215) is maintained. Whereas the angle of the skirt (215) may be modified in order to give a lesser or greater “limited” and “directional” coverage of the fire extinguishing media coverage.
In another embodiment, the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device (100) according to the present disclosure can be equipped with an optional wired or wireless alarm or sensing device which can act independently or attached to an alarm or sensing system such that activation of the device would trigger the alarm system or sensing device to activate and permit a warning audible sound to direct personnel to the location of incident. Such sensing devices are commonly found in the security industry and the automatic directional explosive-type fire suppression device (100) can be added to presently installed security systems for a minimum cost.
The forgoing detailed description is based on exemplary embodiments of a fire suppression device. The preceding description has been presented only to illustrate and describe embodiments and examples of the principles described. This description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit these principles to any precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.
