Patent Application
20130068488
This invention relates to a survival apparatus, in particular but not limited to, a fire protective cover for a vehicle used in controlling bushfires and forest fires.
During wildfire events, natural disasters, or other catastrophes, vehicles may be exposed to extreme heat or flame impingement which may threaten the well being of occupants of those vehicles. Vehicles, especially fire agency, land management vehicles, and other emergency personal vehicles can become trapped in a ‘fire storm’ or ‘burn over’ during fire suppression operations or the like. In this regard, it is widely accepted, that protection of the vehicle cabin during these events can significantly increase survival expectation of the occupants thereof until the danger has passed.
Prior art reflective fire curtains presently available are fitted internally and fixed to the vehicle's cabin, and when not in use, rolled up and held in place above the cabin windows. Although they provide some degree of protection from heat and flame impingement, in an emergency fire situation they provide no external protection for the glass which is exposed directly to heat and flames, resulting in breakage. It is imperative that in such a situation the glass is kept intact, so as to maintain the oxygen levels within the cabin and to prevent the entry of toxic fumes, such as smoke and other toxins that may be present in the air as a result of the fire. Presently, in an attempt to solve this problem, an external water spray system above the windows is installed, which can be inefficient due to the prevailing weather conditions or strong thermal currents caused by the fire, which often deflect the protective spray away from the windows. Moreover, to implement this solution, a large reservoir of water is obviously required, which is not easily adapted for use with general vehicles, such as people movers, mobile homes, trailers and the like. Lastly, the requirement that approximately 25% of the total water capacity of a fire fighting vehicle be retained for this use adversely impacts the primary fire suppression role and operational capacity of a fire fighting vehicle.
The lack of protection of the external surfaces exposes these surfaces of the cabin to intense heat, which is transferred through the doors, roof and other sections of the vehicle to the internal cabin linings. Moreover, these internal cabin linings are often made from plastic-based materials which can generate toxic gases detrimental to the survival of the occupants during the period of exposure.
Current fire protection curtains are held in position usually by riveting, by using press studs or using adhesive backed Velcro to secure the material to the cabin or internal vinyl trim. These methods, however, can involve a significant amount of time and effort for trained technicians to install. Furthermore, they can be inefficient and become compromised during exposure to an intense fire, due to deformation and degradation of materials.
Current fire protection curtains which are stowed, internally present a safety issue because of their tendency to obstruct a driver's vision. Their effectiveness and use can also be limited relevant jurisdictional vehicle safety standards.
It is the object of the invention to ameliorate some or all of the above disadvantages of the prior art by providing a novel and innovative fire safety vehicle cover.
In one aspect the invention resides in a fire protection external vehicle cover comprising in combination:
a plurality of reflective panels of a heat dissipating and/or thermal insulating material or textile;
each panel configured to cover an adjacent portion of a cabin or body of the vehicle;
one or more panels having retention means to secure the panels by gripping between the closed doors and door frames of the cabin or the body;
storage and deployment means adapted to store and deploy the cover from one or more locations on the vehicle;
where in operation, when deployed, the cover forms an enclosure over the cabin or the body thereby protecting the external surfaces of the cabin or the body and thus any occupants from exposure to radiant heat, burning embers and flames if the vehicle becomes trapped in a fire.
Preferably, the material or textile is a reflective single or multi-layered thermal insulating and/or heat dissipating fabric or other reflective material which, when deployed, protects the glass sections such as the windows and windscreen of the vehicle by preventing them from shattering under intense heat and also inhibits heat transfer through the doors, roof and other portions of the cabin from reaching the interior trim and plastic areas inside the vehicle. More preferably, the reflective material or textile that is a single or multi-layered thermal insulating and/or heat dissipating fabric or other material is constructed of a flexible and fibre reinforced material and has heat deflective properties. The reinforced material used in the present invention is not overly limited, as those skilled in the art would appreciate that any material having the ability to provide thermal insulating and/or deflective properties can be used. However, preferred reinforced materials include, but are not limited to, Kevlar fibres, glass fibres, carbon fibres, aramid fibres, and combinations thereof.
The reduction in heat transfer into the vehicle cabin potentially reduces any toxic fumes released by the linings and plastic surfaces of the cabin trim and upholstery.
Preferably there can be a clear heatproof portion of the panel covering the windscreen to allow vision when driving the vehicle, for example, through a fire storm.
In the alternative, there may be liftable portion or removable panel for this purpose.
Preferably, the storage and deployment means comprises one or more containers mounted on the roof of the vehicle which stores the cover in a rolled up or folded up configuration. In the alternative, the storage and deployment means can be mounted on another part of the vehicle.
Preferably, deployment is rapidly effected under gravitational means when the cover is released from the storage and deployment enclosures.
Preferably the retaining means for the panels of the cover comprise straps or tags that can be secured between the door frames and the closed doors of the vehicle body.
Preferably, when deployed, panels can be further tensioned through the tightening the straps or tags, or use of tension drawstrings accessible from within the cabin.
Preferably, the panels overlap one another so that gaps do not exist to allow embers or heat from infiltrating the cover to affect the cabin.
Preferably the storage and deployment means may include mechanical aids to effect rapid deployment of the cover such as sliding, hinged, pivoting, springs and rotating lever arms or rollers to facilitate unfolding or unfurling of the panels and the positioning of the retention straps or tags between the doors and the door frames.
More preferably, where mechanical aids are used to effect deployment of an unfolding cover, torsion springs or a pneumatic system with varying strengths are used to assist in rapidly unfolding the panels in a successive, predetermined order to cover the vehicle. When stored, the panels are folded against the bias of the spring or pneumatic rams and retained in place in a storage and deployment container strategically located on the vehicle.
Preferably, where mechanical aids are used to effect deployment of the cover, the automatic deployment will be triggered by a mechanism accessible from within the vehicle, such as a manual switch, switching means or an automatic trigger based on a thermostat or fusible link responsive to ambient temperature operating a retaining pin or solenoid device. After deployment, the cover can be more securely retained through the use straps or tags that can be secured between the door frames and the closed doors of the vehicle.
In order for the invention to be better understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein;
Referring now to
It should be appreciated that the term “vehicle” used throughout the specification has the general meaning portrayed to the person skilled in the art. However, such is intended to also include, but not limited to, people movers or personal use motor vehicles, emergency personal vehicles, caravans, trailers, or any other vehicle or body that may be occupied by personnel when they become trapped in a fire situation.
Referring now to
In
It will be noted from
Referring now to
26
a-g indicate the location of torsion springs, which is one example of a mechanical aid used to effect deployment of an unfolding cover. These torsion springs may be selectively varying strengths to assist in rapidly unfolding panels 26B, 26C, 26D, 26E, 26F, 26G and 26H in a successive, predetermined order from base panel 26A to cover the vehicle (not shown). When stored, the panels are folded against the bias of the springs and retained in place in a storage and deployment container strategically located on the vehicle (not shown). Automatic deployment of the cover is preferably triggered by a mechanism accessible within the vehicle such as a manual switch or an automatic trigger based on a thermostat or fusible link responsive to ambient temperature (not shown) operating a retaining pin or solenoid device (not shown).
While in the above explained embodiment reference is made to torsion springs as a preferred deployment mechanism, it shall be appreciated that other known mechanical deployment mechanisms can be used without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In particular, it is envisaged that a pneumatically powered system could be used to impart rapid deployment of an unfolding cover of the present invention. Additionally, a compressed air deployment system, mechanical gearing, electric motors and hydraulic energy are other examples of systems that could be adapted to impart rapid deployment of the cover of the present invention.
In use and after deployment of the cover, straps or tags 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42 may be used to further secure the panels by gripping between shut doors and door frames of the cabin of the vehicle (not shown).
Referring now to
In all the above examples, the deployment is preferably triggered by a mechanism accessible within the vehicle, such as a manual switch or an automatic trigger based on a thermostat or fusible link responsive to ambient temperature (not shown) operating a retaining pin or solenoid device. During housing in the stored position for extended periods of time, the torsion springs may lose some tension, however it is envisaged that replacement springs may be installed when too much spring tension is lost. Moreover, other deployment mechanisms can be replaced if necessary during the life of the product.
It will of course be realised that while the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein set forth.
In the specification the terms “comprising” and “containing” shall be understood to have a broad meaning similar to the term “including” and will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. This definition also applies to variations on the terms “comprising” and “containing” such as “comprise”, “comprises”, “contain” and “contains”.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010902255 | May 2010 | AU | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AU2011/000600 | 5/20/2011 | WO | 00 | 11/20/2012 |
