Smart fire extinguisher
11383115 · 2022-07-12
Inventors
Cpc classification
A62C13/64
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A62C37/50
HUMAN NECESSITIES
International classification
Abstract
Improvements to a portable fire extinguisher where the improvements relate to a system where the owner of the extinguisher can monitor and maintain their fire protection. The improvements also include integration of technology into the fire extinguisher for real-time information of the status around the extinguisher, pre-recorded instructions in one or multiple languages. The technology can also include bi-directional communication whereby a user can communicate to a distant operator. With the inclusion of a speaker the fire extinguisher can provide safety and public service announcements using a wireless WiFi communication network without requiring separate speakers to be wired and connected throughout a building.
Claims
1. A smart fire extinguisher comprising: a manually transportable fire extinguisher; said manually transportable fire extinguisher having a housing with an internal power supply that is charged with a separable wall mounting bracket; said separable wall mounting bracket being a wall mounted charger that allows said manually transportable fire extinguisher with said internal power supply to hang from said wall mounting bracket to charge said manually transportable fire extinguisher; said internal power supply powering a microcontroller within said housing of said manually transportable fire extinguisher; said housing of said manually transportable fire extinguisher includes said microcontroller, at least one sensor, a speaker, at least one transmitter/receiver and at least two messages; said at least one transmitter/receiver transmits with a wireless communication selected from a group consisting of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LAN, WAN, FM and cellular network; a signaling mechanism on said manually transportable fire extinguisher is activated when said manually transportable fire extinguisher is removed from said wall mounting bracket and a first message is played from said speaker in said housing of said manually transportable fire extinguisher for instructions how to override a tamper device on said said manually transportable fire extinguisher; when said at least one sensor in said manually transportable fire extinguisher detects that a user has overridden said tamper device on said manually transportable fire extinguisher, a second message is played from said speaker in said housing in said manually transportable fire extinguisher that provides further instructs for pressurizing said manually transportable fire extinguisher; a pressure sensor within said manually transportable fire extinguisher monitors a pressure within said manually transportable fire extinguisher and when said manually transportable fire extinguisher is pressurized, said manually transportable fire extinguisher plays a third message for depressing a powder release valve to use said manually transportable fire extinguisher.
2. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 1, further includes an environmental sensor that senses an environmental condition that is selected from a group consisting of humidity, CO2, SO2, CO and temperature.
3. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 1, wherein said wireless communication is received by a receiver selected from a group consisting of a PC, a laptop, a tablet, a mobile electronic device, a watch or a cell phone.
4. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 3, wherein said receiver operates with an application or a program to provide alpha numerical or graphical information received from said manually transportable fire extinguisher.
5. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 4, wherein said application or said program provides a real-time map of a location of said mobile device and said manually transportable fire extinguisher.
6. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 1, wherein said manually transportable fire extinguisher provides information about said manually transportable fire extinguisher from a group consisting of, fire extinguishing media and capacity of said manually transportable fire extinguisher.
7. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 1, wherein the signaling mechanism include at least one of a light, audible alarm or a wireless transmitted signal.
8. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 1, wherein said manually transportable fire extinguisher further includes an illumination ring that illuminates around a bottom of said manually transportable fire extinguisher that is configured to illuminate a floor under said manually transportable fire extinguisher and around said manually transportable fire extinguisher.
9. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 8, wherein said illumination ring is illuminated when said manually transportable fire extinguisher is removed from a mounting base.
10. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 8, wherein said illumination ring is illuminated when said manually transportable fire extinguisher receives a wireless signal a fire alarm is activated or a fire is detected.
11. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 8, wherein said illumination ring flashes when a fire alarm is activated or a fire is detected.
12. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 1, wherein said pressure sensor determines an amount of fire suppressing media in said manually transportable fire extinguisher and provides fourth spoken message for information updates on an amount of fire extinguishing media is remaining said manually transportable fire extinguisher.
13. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 1, further includes a global positioning sensor that is configured to provide information on location and movement of said manually transportable fire extinguisher.
14. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 13, wherein said location is with an application that displays position of said manually transportable fire extinguisher relative to a mobile device.
15. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 1, wherein said charging is with contacts in said wall mount bracket and said manually transportable fire extinguisher.
16. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 1, whereby said transmitter transmits data at timed intervals or when a change takes place near said manually transportable fire extinguisher.
17. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 1, wherein said speaker in said housing on said fire manually transportable extinguisher speaker receives and plays public address information and/or music.
18. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 1, wherein said manually transportable fire extinguisher further includes a microphone.
19. The smart fire extinguisher according to claim 18, wherein said manually transportable fire extinguisher is configured to allows for bi-directional communication between said manually transportable fire extinguisher and a mobile device.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(10) It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the system and method of the present invention, as represented in the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but is merely representative of various embodiments of the invention. The illustrated embodiments of the invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout.
ITEM NUMBERS AND DESCRIPTION
(11) 10 fire extinguisher 20 chamber 22 bottom 28 enlarged opening 30 top 31 bar code 33 illuminated ring/band 34 light 40 handle 41 wall mount 42 cover 43 front lip 44 back 45 spaces 46 saddle 47 screws 48 power cord 50 canister 60 trigger 64 rotating mechanism 70 fire suppressant media 72 enlarged opening 80 valve 90 nozzle 92 hole 98 rotated 99 lifted 100 terminates 101 geometric opening 102 opening 103 transmission 104 holes 105 knob 106 arms 108 shaft 109 bottom 110 appendage 111 base 112 riser 114 secured 115 concentric rings 116 concentric rings 117 location 120 mechanism 128 GPS 129 clip 130 elongated vertical wall mount structure 131 strap 132 cover arm 133 support 134 holes 136 contact 137 plug 138 transformer 139 contact 140 controller 141 motor 142 sensor 143 batteries 144 light 145 alarm 146 transmitter/receiver 147 antenna 148 fluffing mechanism 149 button 150 chuck 151 elongated end 152 fingers 160 computer 161 microphone 162 message 163 microphone 165 speaker 166 transmitter/receiver 167 received 168 display 169 data 170 nut 171 outer ring 172 door 173 tab 174 speaker 175 microphone 176 quantum dot(s) 179 phone 180 extinguisher icon 181 extinguisher icon 182 extinguisher icon 183 relative scale 190 display 191 extinguisher 192 extinguisher 193 status 194 building 195 location
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(13) The canister 50 consists essentially of a pressurized chamber, but canisters of different types of gas are possible that do not promote spreading of the fire. Because the gas within the canister is under high pressure or in a liquid state, a small canister of pressurized gas is required to expel the contents of the chamber 20. It is also contemplated that multiple pressurized canisters can be placed within the handle to accommodate a larger fire extinguisher without deviating from the inventive nature of the design. Pressurized canisters are available from a variety of sources and can be replaced or serviced without the need to service the entire fire extinguisher. The handle 40 provides some protection to the canister in the event the fire extinguisher is dropped or roughly handled. A cover 42 protects the gas cartridge. The handle 40 to provide structural strength to the top of the fire extinguisher as well as providing a hole for gripping. A rotating mechanism 64 on the back of the fire extinguisher is rotated to allow the trigger 60 to be lowered to charge the fire extinguisher. The trigger mechanism opens the pressurized canister to pressurize the chamber and expel the fire extinguishing media out the front of the extinguisher out the application nozzle 90.
(14) The location of the activation trigger on the fire extinguisher provide a fire extinguisher that is designed with both the safety pin and the hose retainer for ease of access for right and left handed person. Since the majority of individuals are right handed this creates real problems in life threatening situations. The trigger on top of the fire extinguisher and requires the operator to press down on the extinguisher to operate the extinguisher, but other embodiments are contemplated including but not limited to a finger trigger or a slide mechanism. A safety pin can be incorporated to prevent accidental operation of the extinguisher. The extinguisher is hung from a wall using a fork type holder that is not shown. It is further contemplated that the top housing has an extended tab on one or more side for hanging on an existing wall hanger. The extended tab includes a variety of details located on the top and sides of the extended tab for mounting on wall hangers that are available with older fire extinguisher.
(15) The extinguisher has a powder release valve 80 that is rotated to open the nozzle 90. This valve can be rotated back to the closed position to prevent extinguishing powder from pouring out of the extinguisher when not desired. The path from the pressurized canister 50 to the nozzle 90 is best shown and described in
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(17) In this embodiment the wall mount 41 allows the user to “hook” the fire extinguisher 10 onto the wall mount 41. A user simply hooks the handle 40 of the fire extinguisher onto the front lip 43 of the wall mount 41. The wall mount 41 has a front lip 43 to retain the handle 40 of the fire extinguisher 10 within the saddle 46 area. The wall mounting further spaces 45 the body of the fire extinguisher 10 away from the wall. The back 44 of the wall mount 41 is flush and has mounting features that are shown and described in other images herein. Within the wall mount 41 are a plurality of contact 136 that make contact with complimentary contact 139 in the underside of the handle 40 of the fire extinguisher 10. The contacts 136 and 139 are used to charge or maintain a charge of the self-reliant fire extinguisher 10. While contacts are shown and described, the charging can also be performed with inductive coils in the wall mount 41 and the fire extinguisher 10. A power cord 48 connects from the wall mount 41 to an electrical outlet or power adapter (not shown).
(18) From this figure access to the tamper device rotating mechanism 64 and the trigger 60 is still available as well as access to the exit nozzle 90. In theory a user can charge and operate the fire extinguisher while the fire extinguisher is still retained on the wall mount 41.
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(20) In the back view from
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(22) The enlarged opening 72 is greater than 50% of the diameter of the cylindrical fire extinguisher, but could be up to and including the same diameter as the cylinder with a threading mechanism located on the exterior lip of the cylinder at one or both ends of the cylinder. Threading or other fastening means is used to secure the top 30 and or bottom of the fire extinguisher onto the cylinder. The fastening means can be with internal or external threading on the cylinder and mating end closures or by methods of fastening such as but not limited to bayonet, pins, welding or adhesives. It is also contemplated that the cylinder be fabricated from tubular stock where both the top and the bottom of the extinguisher is identical and the ends are attached to the tube when the fire extinguisher is assembled. The bottom of the extinguisher 20 has a port, hole or opening 102 to allow access to the fluffing knob 105. In the preferred embodiment the top opening is between 75% and 90% of the diameter of the fire extinguisher. The larger opening allows the contents of the fire extinguisher to be filled, emptied, inspected, and serviced more easily. The top is screwed onto the chamber, but it could also be attached with a bayonet or latching mechanism. The top 30 of the fire extinguisher 10 provides the propellant and the connections to emit the fire suppressant media 70.
(23) In this
(24) The fluffer is formed from two halves of material that is joined to create the fluffing shaft. It is contemplated that the fluffing can be accomplished by blowing gas into the chamber through a hole and through the fluffing shaft to fluff the media within the chamber where the gas blows through the shaft and out fluffing holes 104. As previously described the appendage terminates 100 at the bottom of the chamber with a drive fitting where it can be articulated, but the appendage could terminate at the top or sides of the chamber. The termination at the bottom of the chamber where it terminates 100 to allow articulation that requires either a key to attach to the appendage, or may terminate with manual knob, handle, wheel or other extension. A manually rotatable handle is shown for manual fluffing of the fire extinguishing media.
(25) Referring back to
(26) The nozzle 90 can be turned to direct the spray of fire-retardant material as desired. A handle valve 80 is rotated up to allow the fire extinguishing media to be expelled and rotated down to block the flow of fire-retardant material from falling out of the extinguisher when the tank is tipped. The nozzle is shown in a fixed direction but in another contemplated embodiment the nozzle is flexible to allow a user to hold the fire extinguisher and direct the fire extinguishing media out of the nozzle to a fire. While a nozzle is shown in the preferred embodiment other dispensing orifices can be used such as valves, tubing, spray nozzles or similar are contemplated. It is contemplated that an over pressure relief valve can be incorporated within the fire extinguisher to vent any excessive pressure from within the cylinder that could cause the fire extinguisher to burst due to over pressurization of the chamber.
(27) The mounting bracket is shown without the fire extinguisher installed in
(28) When the fire extinguisher is installed on the bracket a tab contact 136 extends vertically from the bottom support 133 and extends under the bottom housing of the fire extinguisher. Another clip 129 wraps around the top of the extinguisher to hold the extinguisher inside the bracket. A powered fluffing mechanism 148 is shown on the bottom of the bracket. The mechanism shown in
(29) The circuit board can include environmental sensors that can transmit local environmental conditions, such as but not limited to, temperature, humidity, CO2, SO2, CO, pressure, temperature and Global Positioning System (GPS) location. This transmitted data can be received by a PC, laptop, tablet, cell phone, phone, wearable or similar device to provide a drawing of one or more fire extinguishers in a facility. This information can be shown numerically or graphically to see the temperature across the facility and display the location and status of the fire extinguisher unit along with condition information at the facility including, but not limited to, temperature and air quality. The information can be used to pinpoint to potential users of where a fire extinguisher is located, the type of fire extinguishing media and the capacity of the fire extinguisher, as well and identify where fire extinguishers have been used to prevent a user from searching a location by providing a precise location of the fire extinguisher for facility and safety personnel.
(30) A strap 131 wraps around the fire extinguisher and snaps into the bracket to retain the fire extinguisher 10.
(31) A chuck 150 is shown in
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(33) If the circuit is integrated with a fire extinguisher, it is contemplated that charge pads contact 139 can exist on the fire extinguisher to keep the controller 140 powered. In this embodiment complimentary charging pads or pins contact 139 are located on the wall mount. The charge pads or pins are connected to a transformer 138 or other power conditioner that is connected to an electrical outlet plug 137.
(34) The housing can include environmental sensors 142 that can transmit local environmental conditions, such as but not limited to, temperature, humidity, CO2, SO2, CO, pressure, temperature and GPS 128, longitude, latitude, elevation and address location. This information can be used to provide real-time information regarding the location of the fire extinguisher, environment around the fire extinguisher and the status of the fire extinguisher without requiring a visual observation or a person physically being in the vicinity of a single fire extinguisher or multiple fire extinguishers placed around a facility. This information can be displayed on a map to provide graphical or numerical information at a distant location so a fire fighter can obtain an overall understanding where a fire or hotspot exists to obtain an overall understanding of where the extinguisher is and given the proximity of the unit to the fire, additional information about the conditions in the surrounding area like temperature and air quality.
(35) This transmitted data 169 can be received 167 by a transmitter/receiver 166 on or in a PC, laptop, tablet, cell phone, computer 160 or similar device to provide a drawing or digital image on a display 168 of one or more fire extinguishers in a facility. The wired or wireless data 169 can be sent using various type of transmission including, but not limited to, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LAN, WAN, FM and cellular networks. The communications can be sent at timed intervals or when triggered when an event or status change takes place near the fire extinguisher or with the fire extinguisher. The application can be used to remotely initiate or activate fluffing the fire extinguisher at a set interval, and signal in advance or just prior to a user accessing the fire extinguisher.
(36) The button(s) 149 or sensor(s) 142 can also be used to determine when the fire extinguisher has been removed from wall mount 41 (not shown in this figure). When removal is detected a message 162 can be played through the speaker 145 to provide instructions on how to use the fire extinguisher. The sensor(s) 142 can determine progress of the user to charge and use the extinguisher. There may be written instructions on how to activate the speech instructions of operation or the extinguisher can detect actions of a user to continue to prompt an instruction or move to a next set of instructions when the fire extinguisher detects that the user has completed a step of operation. The message 162 can be in one or more spoken languages. As an example, when the fire extinguisher is first removed the spoken instructions message 162 can instruct the user to first rotate the rotating mechanism 64. Once a sensor determines that the rotating mechanism 64 has been rotated, the spoken instructions message 162 can tell a user to rotate the trigger 60. Another sensor can then determine that the chamber has been pressurized and then the spoken instructions message 162 can direct a user to point the nozzle 90 at the fire and depress the lever of the valve 80. As the fire extinguisher is being used the spoken instructions message 162 can provide information about the amount of fire extinguishing media that is remaining in the fire extinguisher.
(37) A microphone 161 and speaker 145 on the fire extinguisher allows a user to talk or interface with a microphone 163 and speaker 165 at the receiver. The communications can include a speaker the fire extinguisher can provide safety, music and public service announcements using a wireless WiFi communication network without requiring separate speakers to be wired and connected throughout a building. When the transmitter/receiver 166 is a cellular device like a phone, tablet or computer the person at the receive can be mobile while they communicate to a single person at a fire extinguisher or a group of fire extinguishers. When the transmitter/receiver 166 is embedded in a cellular mobile device or a device with wireless connectivity (like a phone, tablet, laptop computer or even watch), the person can be remote from the facility and communicate to the local person or personnel at the facility through the fire extinguisher or within the context of the group of extinguishers.
(38) The fire extinguishing media can be embedded with quantum dots 176 that can be monitored or queried to determine potency of said fire extinguishing media. The quantum dot 176 particles provide a confirmation that the fire extinguishing media is the required quality and retains the UL requirements without being tampered. This also ensures that the fire extinguishing media is not diluted or mixed with other fire extinguishing media that would compromise the effectiveness of the fire extinguishing media. The quantum dots 176 can be monitored by the controller 140 and or can be read by the receiver 166. The quantum dots 176 can also provide information about the temperature and pressure within the fire extinguisher housing where the fire extinguishing media is stored.
(39) The temperature and other relevant information can be transmitted about the extinguisher and/or facility conditions and displayed in alpha numeric formats and graphically to see the temperature across the facility. The information can be used to pinpoint to potential users where a fire extinguisher is located, the type of fire extinguishing media and the capacity of the fire extinguisher, as well and identify where fire extinguishers have been used to prevent a user from searching a location where the fire extinguisher has been used. This can be provided with a computer program or software application so a smart-phone being used by a person or fireman can identify the location of a fire extinguisher and direct the person of fireman in a unfamiliar building or where entry into a facility with limited visibility in a building where the person or fireman has never previously entered, or enters a building filled with smoke with limited visibility. The application can provide the person with a phone a real-time location map with the precise location of the fire extinguisher, a real-time map of the location of the person with a phone and the location of the fire extinguisher.
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(41) The bottom of the fire extinguisher shows a battery access door 172 with a tab 173 for opening the battery access door. The smart communication device and communication capability can be integrated into the housing of the fire extinguisher 10 or can be added or secured 114 to an existing fire extinguisher to provide monitoring and tracking. The smart communications part of the fire extinguisher may have an illumination ring 33 that illuminates when the fire extinguisher is removed from the elongated vertical wall mount structure 130. The intensity of the illumination can be adjustable and it is contemplated that when a fire alarm in a building is activated the illumination band 33 can illuminate or flash to aid in locating the fire extinguisher 10. Once the extinguisher 10 is removed from the elongated vertical wall mount structure 130, the intensity of the lighting can be reduced. It is further contemplated that sensors include a pressure sensor 142 (shown in
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(44) Other contemplated embodiments include the use of barcodes or Near Field communication (NFC) chip for the delivery head assembly. Some computer and phone manufacturers are using Application Programming Interface (API) of their built-in chips which allows for mobile to mobile communications. Electronics manufacturers of phone, computer and other electronic devices are providing Application Programming Interfaces to these devices and through customizable chip technologies allowing for build out of secure reliable connections and the development of specific applications to integrate and pass data and commands back and forth between devices and locations.
(45) The fire extinguisher and the application can utilize this hardware in computers, tables and phones. The end user at the facility will be able to locate and read the status with unprecedented accuracy to integrate and develop purpose built application capability to better support fire safety and response.
(46) Computer manufactures are developing business apps. This is in anticipation of the next generation of devices coining down the pipeline for the smart, connected, intelligent enterprise. There is a growing environment among developers to meet the needs of enterprise in increasing ways. The application that operates in support of the fire architected and designed in a fashion to support a variety of communication protocols and standards that will enable to incorporation of Near Field Communications (NFC) services as a component of the device. with the fire extinguisher is designed to incorporate the NFC component of the device.
(47) It is also contemplated that the application can read the geotag hidden beneath each photo or scan taken that the application on the mobile device a can read and scan the unit and geotag each unit to a map location providing real time GPS information to the user for each of the units. This gives the application and servers real time GPS information for each scanned component. The end user can turn on their location services from the settings of their phone or tablet. This alert pops up when the user does the initial scan requesting location services be enabled. The location services will need to be enabled for accurate tracking of geo location information and other status. The app will not move forward without location services being turned on.
(48) Thus, specific embodiments of an improved fire extinguisher have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.