CN110559581A - Piercing device for portable fire extinguisher and method for starting portable fire extinguisher - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses an improvement to a portable fire extinguisher. After improvement, personnel can carry out conventional simplified inspection and maintenance to the fire extinguisher through simple training, need not customized equipment. The improvement comprises: an anti-fusion device connected from the outside of the chamber for shaking, mixing or stirring the powder in the chamber to make it in a liquid state. Additional improvements include: a larger opening allows for more rapid filling and inspection of the powder in the cavity. Another improvement comprises: the carbon dioxide gas storage cylinder assembled outside the cavity is used, so that the carbon dioxide gas storage cylinder is maintained or replaced independently more easily, and meanwhile, the cavity is ensured to be in a non-pressurized state, and transportation as a non-dangerous article is allowed. The maintenance interval of the fire extinguisher can be prolonged on the premise of maintaining the fire extinguisher in a suitable state.

Description

Piercing device for portable fire extinguisher and method for starting portable fire extinguisher

the application is a divisional application, and the parent application is an invention patent application with the name of 'fire extinguisher with internal mixing function and gas storage cylinder', the application number is 201580033867.X, and the application date is 2015, 6 and 22.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Para 1 this application is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending application No. 14/704,820 filed 5/2015 and application No. 14/704,820 is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending application No. 14/313,761 filed 24/6/2014. The entire contents of both of the above applications are expressly incorporated by reference into this application.

Technical Field

Para 2 the present invention relates to an improvement of a portable fire extinguisher. More specifically, the fire extinguisher of the present invention utilizes a replaceable gas cylinder which provides propellant fuel to expel the fire suppressant from the fire extinguisher.

Background

Para 3 most portable fire extinguishers are of similar design: fire extinguishing powder is placed in the continuously pressurized cavity. Such extinguishers require regular maintenance by technicians trained and certified by the fire department of various states. The maintenance program includes: discharge, cleaning and refilling of the fire extinguisher. Without regular maintenance, the powder in the chamber may be compacted and/or the pressure in the chamber may leak, resulting in insufficient pressure to eject the powder out of the nozzle. If not properly maintained, the powder can become wet, causing clumping and clogging of the nozzle. This situation can result in the fire extinguishing powder not being sprayed out normally when needed.

Para 4 existing fire extinguishers are subject to wear due to the continuous pressing and removal operation. During maintenance, the fire extinguisher is sent to the recovery chamber and all parts must be disassembled and cleaned. Before the chamber can be re-pressurized, all pressure rings must be replaced, all components reassembled, and new powder injected into the chamber. The wear caused by maintenance services is generally more severe for existing fire extinguishers than for use.

Para 5 united states patent No. 6,189,624 issued to James (James) on 2/20 days 2001 and japanese patent No. JP 9,225,056 issued to Yamazaki Tomoki on 9/2 days 1997 disclose the following: the chamber of the fire extinguisher device does not need to be continuously pressurized and the pressurized container is an independent part in the chamber. Although the above-mentioned patent discloses a single pressurized container, the container is located at a location that is inconvenient to repair, maintain, replace, or inspect. This location design also minimizes the ability to determine the pressurization level of the pressurized container.

Para 6 united states patent No. 2,541,554 ("US '551") issued to c.h Smith (ch Smith) on day 13 of 1951 and No. 2,209,101 ("RU' 101") issued to glasvki g.d (Glavatski g.d.) et al on day 2 of 2002 disclose a fire extinguisher equipped with an external carbon dioxide cylinder. In the US' 554 case, the carbon dioxide cylinder is located at the top of the fire extinguisher chamber and is not integral with the fire extinguisher handle. In the RU' 101 case, the carbon dioxide cylinder is located outside the fire extinguisher and is connected to the fire extinguisher through a hose or tube. Although both of the aforementioned patents disclose a carbon dioxide cylinder disposed outside the chamber, the ability to easily check and replace the fire extinguisher is not achieved because neither cylinder is connected to the handle.

Para 7 united states patent No. 7,128,163 issued on 21.11.2006, united states patent No. 7,318,484 issued on 15.1.2008, and united states patent No. 7,793,737 issued on 14.9.2010, all issued to heckt rufus (Hector Rousseau). The fire extinguisher design disclosed in the above patent incorporates a gas cylinder and a shaking device within the handle. However, these patents all have similar features: the gas cylinder will discharge gas vertically upwards. When it is desired to remove gas from a bottle containing a compressed liquefied gas, such as carbon dioxide, the liquid in the bottle must evaporate to maintain the thermodynamic equilibrium within the bottle. Heat is required to cause vaporization, but if insufficient heat is available in the environment surrounding the cylinder, both the temperature and pressure of the compressed liquefied gas will drop. In the case of carbon dioxide, if the pressure drops below 75 psi, the liquefied carbon dioxide will solidify into dry ice. Since, in general, cylinder extinguishers are used immediately after the cylinder is pierced, any dry ice formed does not have time to absorb enough heat to change phase to gas, thereby failing to promote effective discharge of the extinguisher. This phenomenon is particularly noticeable in a low-temperature environment. According to the measured parameters, the mass loss of the carbon dioxide charge in the current commercial gas cylinder type fire extinguisher at the temperature of-40 ℃ is as high as 40 percent. However, although this portion of gas is not used in a typical discharge operation, the structural design of the fire extinguisher must also meet the full gas charge, which results in less choice of the ideal design. Furthermore, due to the unique properties of carbon dioxide, fire extinguishers cannot be configured with a tortuous path between the main chamber and the cylinder in order to minimize the risk of dry ice or frozen valves blocking the flow path in the event that the carbon dioxide expands causing a low temperature.

para 8 due to the problem of the pressurization conditions present in pressurized extinguishers, the design of the powder-filled opening in the extinguisher to maintain the pressure in the chamber at all times is limited by structural requirements. The present application addresses this need by providing an external gas cylinder, which allows the chamber to be generally in an unpressurized state. Because the cavity is not pressed, the area of the top opening of the fire extinguisher can be enlarged, thereby being easier to fill powder into the fire extinguisher or check the powder quantity and condition in the cavity.

para 9 the fire extinguisher currently in need should comply with the following description: equipped with a replaceable gas cylinder oriented to allow the propellant to be expelled only into the fire extinguisher cylinder, and a shaking device controlled to operate from outside the chamber equipped with an enlarged top opening for filling the fire extinguisher. The fire extinguisher in the present application provides a solution by the following design: the fire extinguisher is equipped with an external gas cylinder that exhausts downward, an external device that activates an internal shaking device, and a large opening. By discharging the compressed liquefied gas downwards, the liquid is discharged into the fire extinguisher, and as such, the cylinder does not need to absorb heat to drive the necessary evaporation to ensure that the temperature and pressure within the cylinder remain above the triple point, thus avoiding solidification of the propellant. In the case of compressed liquefied carbon dioxide, the design has been experimentally verified to achieve nearly 100% emission of carbon dioxide from the cylinder even when the fire extinguisher is pre-treated in an environment at-40 ℃.

Disclosure of Invention

Para 10 the object of the present fire extinguisher is to eliminate the need for warranty personnel to enter a safe area. The fire extinguisher has higher maintenance grade, and can carry out automatic self-repair or manual maintenance by all persons or terminal users. This eliminates the need for non-employee personnel to enter private corporate and government areas. The operation, maintenance, filling and loading of the fire extinguisher only need simple training and do not need customized equipment.

Para 11 for replacement of fire extinguishers in safe areas, the feature of no need for external service and maintenance is highly desirable. This will reduce or eliminate the possibility of terrorists using the fire extinguisher as a weapon, or using a false identity to impersonate the fire extinguisher maintainer into a secure area.

Para 12 the object of the present fire extinguisher is to provide a fire extinguisher equipped with an external gas cylinder. The inverted external cylinder design allows the liquid in the cylinder to drain directly into the fire extinguisher. Other applications use common gas cylinders (e.g. carbon dioxide or nitrogen) for the operation of the fire extinguisher. Because the gas storage bottle is arranged outside the cavity, the gas storage bottle is easy to replace, and the whole fire extinguisher does not need to be replaced. When the maintenance needs to be carried out on a large number of fire extinguishers at the same time, the mode brings huge convenience.

Para 13 another object of the present fire extinguisher is to provide an alternative, externally controllable operated jitter device. The size, configuration and necessity of the whipping device can be determined according to the size of the fire extinguisher. The shaking device, which can be operated from the outside control, promotes the "anti-fusion" of the powder inside the chamber, to keep it in a shaking, stirring or stirring condition, preventing the powder from caking, while keeping the extinguishing powder in a liquid state, to ensure that it can be properly sprayed onto the flames. The shaking process is accomplished by paddle-like device(s), chain bar(s), or other agitation device disposed within the chamber. The stirring device is connected by a connecting piece connected with the top, the bottom or the side of the cavity body, and can be operated manually or by some type of tool.

Para 14 this extinguisher has yet another object: a fire extinguisher is provided with an enlarged fill opening. The enlarged filling opening makes the filling and pouring operations of the cavity simpler and faster. The opening is easy to open, so that the condition of the powder in the cavity can be directly observed.

Para 15 this extinguisher has yet another object: a quick opening and closing top housing is provided so that a user can quickly open and fill the fire extinguisher. Furthermore, the firefighters can also be charged with the corresponding fire extinguishing materials according to the different types of flames.

Para 16 objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following more detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which numerals represent parts of the drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

Para 17 figure 1 is a perspective view of a fire extinguisher.

Para 18 figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a fire extinguisher.

Para 19 figure 3 is a detailed view of the fire extinguisher injection valve.

Para 20 figure 4 is a partial schematic view of the top of the fire extinguisher.

Para 21 figures 5A, 5B and 5C are diagrams of the steps taken to remove the safety device from the fire extinguisher prior to injection.

Para 22 figure 6 is a detail view of the fire extinguisher pressurized gas cylinder piercing device.

Para 23 figure 7 is a cross-sectional detail view of a fire extinguisher spike.

Para 24 figure 8 is a graph of the amount of dry ice produced for different pressurized gas directions.

Para 25 figure 9 is a schematic view of a shaker apparatus and siphon.

para 26 figure 10 is a detailed view of a plurality of siphon tube intake ports and shaking arms.

Best mode of operation of the invention

Para 27 figure 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of fire extinguisher 19. The extinguisher 19 is substantially cylindrical in shape, with a bottom housing 20 and a top housing 30. In the preferred embodiment, the bottom housing 20 and the top housing 30 are made of a lightweight, resilient material (e.g., plastic), but may be made of other materials such as steel, brass, copper, or aluminum. Bottom housing 20 may further be made of a transparent material to allow visual inspection of fire extinguisher 19. The top housing 30 is screwed to the bottom housing 20, but may be secured by a snap or latch arrangement. The bottom housing 20 has an enlarged opening to facilitate filling the bottom housing 20 with fire suppressant material. A wall hook assembly can be added to the top housing 30 of fire extinguisher 19 or wrapped around the body of bottom housing 20 or can be forked on the top housing 30 of fire extinguisher 19.

Para 28 with reference to fig. 1 and 2, a handle 40 allows a user to grasp fire extinguisher 19 by gripping grasping area 41. This allows extinguisher 19 to be in an upright orientation during transport or use. Fire extinguisher 19 may be in an upright orientation during storage and transportation, but the upright orientation is not critical to the storage and operation of fire extinguisher 19. A replaceable gas cylinder 50 is partially disposed within the handle 40 and the top housing 30 below the transparent portion 42 of the handle 40. By virtue of the design of the transparent portion 42, the pressurized gas cylinder 50 inside the extinguisher 19 can be checked. In the preferred embodiment, the pressurized gas cylinder 50 is partially disposed within the handle 40 and the top housing 30, although other locations are also contemplated.

Para 29 the replaceable pressurized gas cylinder 50 consists essentially of a cylinder containing compressed carbon dioxide, although cylinders containing other types of gases that inhibit the spread of fire may be used. Since the gas in the cylinder is under high pressure and may be in liquid form, a canister of propellant is required to expel the fire-extinguishing material 99 from the interior of the extinguisher 19. It is also envisioned that a large fire extinguisher may use multiple gas cylinders without departing from the inventive nature of the present design. Pressurized gas cylinders are available and the replacement or maintenance of the gas cylinders can be carried out separately without the need to maintain the entire fire extinguisher 19.

the handle 40 and transparent portion 42 protect the pressurized gas cylinder 50 if the fire extinguisher 19 is dropped or used violently. The trigger device 60 can activate the pressurized gas cylinder 50 to pressurize the chamber 22, push the fire-extinguishing material 99 through the hose 81 and eventually out the ejection port 90.

Para 30 although some of the data presented in this document describe a flexible hose 81, certain contemplated versions may use a conduit, hollow conduit or nozzle 97 through which the fire extinguishing material is ejected through the body of the extinguisher to extinguish the fire via the nozzle 97. A control valve pull rod 92 controls the opening and closing of the exit orifice 90 or prevents the fire-extinguishing material 99 from being poured out of the fire extinguisher under pressurization of the chamber. When the nozzle 97 is used, a control valve may be positioned adjacent the nozzle 97 to control the flow of fire suppressant from the extinguisher. Figure 2 shows the piercing means of the pressurised gas cylinder and the passage from the gas cylinder 50 to the cavity 22.

Para 31 fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of fire extinguisher 19. The user may grasp handle 40 with either hand or glove through gripping area 41 to carry, transport, or use fire extinguisher 19. When the top housing 30 is detached from the bottom housing 20, the fire suppressant material 99 may be poured into the cavity 22 in the bottom housing 20 through an enlarged cylindrical opening 70. Over time, the fire extinguishing material 99 compacts against the bottom of the cavity 22. When the fire-extinguishing material 99 is compacted, the risk of improper discharge increases. Within the fire extinguisher 19, a plurality of shaking arms 120 are provided on the central rod 110. The shaker wheel 100 is controllably operable from the bottom of the extinguisher 19. The rotating shaker wheel 100 can shake loose the fire-extinguishing material 99, thereby minimizing the risk of fire extinguisher 19 failing to properly discharge the fire-extinguishing material 99. The principle of rotating the shaker wheel 100 to loosen the fire-extinguishing material 99 is similar to a food mixer.

Para 32 polycarbonate is a more cost effective alternative material for making the transparent bottom housing 20, however, when exposed to ammonia gas (the primary source of ABC dry powder fire suppressant), material degradation occurs, especially in high temperature environments, and therefore isolation or protection of the polycarbonate material is required to prevent direct exposure. When a polycarbonate material is used, the interior of the bottom housing 20 is preferably covered with a transparent protective coating 21 of silicone or similar material. The coating 21 can improve chemical and abrasion resistance while providing UV protection. The coating 21 can be applied in a variety of ways to isolate the polycarbonate from the monoammonium phosphate and any released ammonia gas. The coating 21 will provide the necessary chemical protection while the polycarbonate bottom housing 20 will provide the necessary strength and impact protection.

Para 33 in another contemplated embodiment, the bottom housing 20 is formed as a transparent cylinder of two separate cylinders, with the inner cylinder 21 inserted into the outer cylinder 23 of the bottom housing 20. The above assumption may be accomplished by the following steps: a transparent inner cylinder made of copolyester (tritan) material, acrylic material, styrene acrylonitrile (san) material, or similar other material is insert molded into the polycarbonate outer cylinder 23. Outer cylinder 23 may be made of a polycarbonate material to provide the required strength and impact protection during assembly, while inner cylinder 21 will provide the necessary chemical protection against monoammonium phosphate. In such a solution, the internal cylinder 21 is strong enough to ensure the safety of operation in case the external cylinder 23 of the bottom casing 20 is subjected to harsh environments or to great impact damages.

Para 34 in order to enable the fire-extinguishing material 99 to be discharged from the fire extinguisher 19, the user must pierce the pressurized gas cylinder 50. The pressurized gas cylinder 50 is threadably 52 secured, or otherwise secured, to the top housing of the fire extinguisher 19. Within the top housing 30, a replaceable pressurized gas cylinder 50 is located below the transparent portion 42 of the handle 40. The handle 40 and its transparent portion 42 protect the pressurized gas cylinder in the event that the fire extinguisher is dropped, and also allow the user to check whether the pressurized gas cylinder 50 is already installed in the fire extinguisher 19. The user lowers or rotates the trigger 60 to push the spike 62 into the pressurized gas cylinder 50 to pierce the pressurized gas cylinder 50. Fig. 6 and 7 illustrate details of the trigger device 60 and lancet 62. When the pressurized gas cylinder 50 is pierced, gas and/or liquid is forced into the cavity 22.

para 35 when the liquefied gas is discharged from the pressurized gas cylinder 50, the liquid in the cylinder inevitably evaporates to maintain the thermodynamic equilibrium in the pressurized gas cylinder 50. To maintain thermodynamic equilibrium, heat is required to drive evaporation. If insufficient heat is available in the environment surrounding the cylinder, both the temperature and pressure of the compressed liquefied gas will drop. In the case of liquefied carbon dioxide, if the pressure drops below 75 psi, the liquefied carbon dioxide will freeze to dry ice. If dry ice forms, it will not have time to absorb sufficient heat from the surrounding environment to phase change to a gas, thereby failing to promote efficient evacuation of fire extinguisher 19.

Para 36 in a low temperature environment, the formation of dry ice is further exacerbated. Some testing agencies, including the Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), require that fire extinguishers be used in environments below-40 ℃ (-40F). If the pressurized cylinder containing the carbon dioxide is placed vertically with the vent port facing upward (i.e., threads 52 facing upward), tests have shown that up to 40% of the carbon dioxide (by mass) remains as dry ice after the fire extinguisher discharge is complete. If the pressurized cylinder containing carbon dioxide is placed vertically with the exhaust port facing downward (i.e., with the threads 52 facing downward), the cylinder need not absorb heat to drive the liquefied carbon dioxide in the pressurized cylinder 50 to vaporize to ensure that the temperature and pressure in the cylinder remain above the triple point to absorb heat, thereby avoiding the formation of dry ice in the pressurized cylinder 50. Experiments have demonstrated that the discharge rate of the fire extinguisher from the cylinder can be nearly 100% even when the fire extinguisher is placed in an environment at-40 ℃ (-40 DEG F). Once the carbon dioxide enters the chamber 22, sufficient heat and relatively large surface area can rapidly convert the liquid carbon dioxide to a gaseous form.

Para 37 the mixture of fire suppressant material 99 and gas is pushed via the central rod 110, the flow channel 80 to the top housing 30, where it is pushed via the hose 81 to the manually operated valve 95 and finally ejected from the ejection outlet 90. The central rod 110 has an integral siphon tube 112 therein, and the fire suppressant material 99 is pushed through the integral siphon tube 112 through a plurality of holes in the bottom of the central rod 110. The nozzle 96 has a valve 95 therein, and the opening and closing of the valve 95 is controlled by a lever 94. The lever 94 holds the valve 95 closed by a spring 93. The user can open the valve 95 by pressing the control valve pull rod 92 against the pressure of the spring 93. The spray nozzle 96 can be operated by either hand with one hand. This is shown and described in detail in figure 3.

para 38 figure 3 is a detailed view of the spray nozzle 96. This view shows the handle 40 and a portion of the gripping area 41. In the top housing 30, a flow passage 80 passes from the extinguisher 19 into the top housing 30. When valve 95 is in the closed position, extinguisher 19 may remain pressurized after pressurized gas cylinder 50 is punctured. In this "armed" state, all pressure within extinguisher 19 and fire suppressant material 99 is controlled by valve 95. The spray nozzle 96 has a valve 95 therein, and the valve 95 is connected to the operating lever 94. By pulling the operating rod 94 back, the extinguishing material can flow through the hose 81 to the ejection opening 90.

Para 39 a user may grasp spray nozzle 96 of fire extinguisher 19 with one hand and simultaneously operate pull rod 92 with the same hand. The user may then direct the spray nozzle 96 toward the flame. When the pull rod 92 is pressed, the pull rod presses the spring 93, and the operating rod 94 is slid to open the valve 95. When the valve 95 is opened, the fire extinguishing material 99 is ejected through the ejection port 90. When the pull rod 92 is released, the spring 93 will close, closing the valve 95 to prevent further injection of the fire suppressant material 99. At this point, pressure will be present in the cavity 22 of the extinguisher 19.

Para 40 figure 4 is a partial schematic view of the top housing 30 of fire extinguisher 19. The design of handle 40 allows the user to hold extinguisher 19 by gripping area 41. The trigger device 60 is connected to a lifting plate 55, and the lifting plate 55 is capable of lifting the spike 62 to pierce the sealed bottom end of the pressurized gas cylinder 50 located below the transparent portion 42 of the handle 40. The pressurized gas cylinder 50 is threadably 52 secured, or otherwise secured, to the top housing 30. Fig. 5 and 6 show the trigger 60 and lancet 62 in detail. When the pressurized gas cylinder 50 contains compressed liquid carbon dioxide, the flow path between the pressurized gas cylinder 50 and the fire extinguisher 19 must be as smooth as possible to reduce the risk of the dry ice that forms blocking or restricting the flow. As shown, the bottom housing 20 is connected to the top housing 30. When the valve 95 is opened, the static pressure of the carbon dioxide or other compressed gas in the pressurized cylinder 50 pushes the fire suppressant material 99 down into the opening of the center rod 110 and then up through the integral siphon tube 112, the flow channel 80, and to the hose 81. If the seal 109 of the top housing 30 were to leak, the gas in the cylinder 50 would bypass the fire-extinguishing material 99, directly through the flow passage 80 and eventually out of the valve 95, resulting in a reduced extent and dosage of fire-extinguishing material 99. To ensure that the seal 109 is properly installed on the top housing 30, the center rod 110 will be attached to the top housing 30 when the bottom housing 20 is installed on the top housing 30 due to the dominant nature of the top housing 30.

Para 41 figures 5A, 5B, and 5C are diagrams of the steps of resetting safety catch 72 before use of fire extinguisher 19. Fig. 5A shows the fire extinguisher in its initial state prior to activation. In this state, the safety catch 72 restricts the movement of the trigger device 60. Safety bar 72 is substantially rectangular in shape and is configured to lock trigger 60 or prevent actuation of trigger 60 in a direction that allows trigger 60 to pass laterally over safety bar 72 when safety bar 72 is rotated 90 degrees. The horizontal side of the trigger 60 is secured by a flange portion 76 of the safety catch 72. When activation is desired, the safety catch 72 is rotated in the direction 68. The safety catch 72 may be operated by either hand.

Para 42 in fig. 5B, the safety catch 72 is in a vertical orientation, allowing the trigger device 60 to pass over the side of the safety catch 72. When the safety pin 72 is rotated, the rotation causes the inner pin 74 to shear and the safety indicator 73 to be released or ejected. The disengagement of the safety indicator 73 indicates that the fire extinguisher 19 has been fired and requires maintenance. Furthermore, the safety catch 72 is vertically oriented and is not able to control the operation of the gas cylinder 50 by opening the transparent portion 42 of the handle 40. Due to this design, a new cylinder 50 cannot be inserted without resetting the triggering device 60 to the vertical locking orientation, thereby preventing the new pressurized cylinder 50 from being punctured when inserted.

Para 43 as shown in fig. 5C, the user can pull or push the trigger 60 down in a direction 69 to a lower position 67 (shown in phantom). When the trigger 60 is rotated from the upper position to the lower position 67, the spike 62 is pushed in, piercing the pressurized gas cylinder 50. The trigger device 60 may be operated by either hand.

Para 44 fig. 6 shows a detail of the puncturing device for a pressurized gas cylinder 50. The pressurized gas cylinder 50 is secured in a retainer 56 within the top housing 30 with threads 52. The pressurized gas cylinder 50 and the threaded retainer 56 remain stationary while the bottom of the pressurized gas cylinder 50 is pierced. For visual effect, a set of fasteners and spare parts are omitted from the figure. The trigger 60 rotates about the axis 58, which improves the mechanical efficiency of piercing the end of the pressurized gas cylinder 50. The movable end of the trigger 60 is connected to the lift pin 53 and the return spring 54 to maintain the trigger 60 in a normal position, i.e., the spike 62 does not contact the bottom of the pressurized gas cylinder 50. The lift pins 53 (only one shown) are connected together for rotation to raise the lift plate 55 in parallel to raise the lancet needle 62 in a linear motion.

Para 45 fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional detail of the lancet 62. The spike 62 has a tip 61 to pierce the seal of the pressurized gas cylinder 50. The partially hollow center 65 allows gas or liquid carbon dioxide to pass from the pressurized gas cylinder 50 into the cavity 22 of the fire extinguisher 19 (even if the spike 62 is in the piercing position of the pressurized gas cylinder 50). The spike 62 has a tapered body 66 that increases the size of the hole when the spike pierces the pressurized gas cylinder 50 and the tapered body 66 provides a small flow of air to the spike so that the spike is more easily ejected from the gas cylinder 50 by the force applied by the spring 54. One end of the spike 62 is provided with a fitting 64 for securing the spike 62 to the riser 55. Between the fitting 64 and the partially hollow center 65, an enlarged shank 63 supports the spike 62. Because the spike is firmly secured, inadvertent puncturing of the gas cylinder 50 by dropping or rough handling of the fire extinguisher is avoided.

Para 46 fire extinguishers typically require approval by regulatory agencies such as Underwriters Laboratories, UL. The housings of most fire extinguishers are pressurized. The fire extinguisher disclosed in the present invention uses a separate pressurized gas cylinder 50 which contains liquid gas which must be vented from the gas cylinder 50 into the bottom housing 20.

Para 47 for cylinder extinguishers, a 5 second wait is required after the cylinder is pierced to build up pressure before the fire suppressant is sprayed. The injection time of the fire extinguisher should be not less than 8 seconds, or not less than the minimum time specified in "fire extinguisher rating and fire test standards".

Para 48 when the filled fire extinguisher is placed vertically, the spray nozzle is kept horizontally. The fire extinguisher was then used to spray and the duration of the point of exhaustion and the total amount of dry chemical discharged were recorded.

Para 49 when vertically upward spraying is performed depending on the outside temperature and the cylinder direction, the amount of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) remaining in the carbon dioxide cylinder is different; conversely, when sprayed vertically downward, the amount of dry ice remaining is minimal.

Para 50 figure 8 is a graph of the orientation of the discharge of pressurized gas versus the amount of dry ice. The chart shows the amount of dry ice produced at a temperature of 70F and a temperature of-40F, as shown by curves 45 and 46, respectively. At a temperature of 70 ° f, almost all facing locations had little dry ice generation. And at-40 ° f, when the cylinder is placed vertically (position 47), the amount of dry ice generated is up to 40%; or when the air bottle is horizontally placed (position 48), the dry ice generation amount is about 15 percent; when the cylinder 50 is inverted (position 49), the amount of dry ice produced is almost 0%. Because of the light weight of the liquid in the carbon dioxide cylinder 50, the inverted cylinder 50 pushes the liquid carbon dioxide out of the cylinder 50, and the vaporized gas pushes the heavier liquid carbon dioxide out of the opening of the cylinder 50 through the junction 52 between the cylinder 50 and the extinguisher 19.

Para 51 the test environment for the above results is: the pressurized liquid carbon dioxide cylinders are vented in different directions at 70 DEG F or-40 DEG F. The amount of dry ice remaining in the cylinder was measured 30 seconds after cylinder puncture.

Para 52 figure 9 shows the shaking arm 120 and the integral siphon 112. In the preferred embodiment, the shaking arm 120 and the integral siphon tube 112 are integrally formed around the center rod 110. Although in this embodiment the siphon tube 112 is provided with the shaking arms or vanes 120, some other embodiments are envisioned in which the siphon tube 112 may not be provided with shaking arms or vanes 120. Typically, whether a fire extinguisher is equipped with a shaking arm or blade 120 is based on its capacity and power. The bottom cover 111 of the central rod 110 fits into the bottom of the fire extinguisher 19. A seal around bottom cap 111 prevents leakage of compressed gas from the bottom of fire extinguisher 19. The seal 109 above the central rod 110 prevents the bypass of compressed gas directly into the flow passage 80 and ultimately out of the valve 95, resulting in a reduced range and dosage of fire suppressant material 99 being expelled. The seal 109 and the seal around the bottom cover 111 allow the central rod 110 to rotate within the fire extinguisher 19. For ease of production, the bottom cover 111, the integral siphon tube 112, and/or the shaking arm 120 may be separate components, or combined in any efficient manner.

Para 53 the integral siphon tube 112 comprises an elongated tubular member 119 having a plurality of vanes 120. The bottom cover 111 is fitted over the elongated tube 119 by ultrasonic welding or the like.

Para 54 since the pressurized gas cylinder 50 is inverted, essentially only the liquid gas is poured out and expanded to gaseous gas within the extinguisher 19, and therefore essentially all of the gas within the cylinder is vented. Because the liquid/gas is rapidly expelled, the pressure wave 113, which is at a velocity close to sonic, pushes on the top of the dither arm 120. A triangle 116 supports the oscillating arm 120 and prevents the oscillating arm 120 from falling off due to the impact of the pressure wave. The air pressure in the fire extinguisher 19 will be stabilized in a short time. As shown in other schematic views of this document, once the valve 95 is opened, the static pressure within the cavity 22 pushes the fire suppressant material 99 toward the at least one suction hole 114 in the bottom of the center pole 110.

Para 55 fig. 10 is a detailed view of a plurality of suction ports 114 and a shaker arm(s) 120. The oscillating arms 120 are narrow, topped, staggered, and tapered 115, which design maximizes agitation of the compacted fire-extinguishing material 99 and promotes a flow of encapsulated fire-extinguishing material 99 during spraying while minimizing rotational resistance. The holes 117 in the oscillating arms 120 allow the fire extinguishing material 99 to pass through the oscillating arms 120 and the supporting triangle 116. As shown, the pressure wave 113 of the liquefied gas pushes the dither arm 120 downward. The bottom of the center rod 110 shows a plurality of suction holes 114, and the fire extinguishing material 99 is pushed or siphoned into the suction holes 114, through the integral siphon tube 112, where it passes through the hose 81 and the spray nozzles 96, and finally out of the fire extinguisher 19. The bottom cover 111 of the center pole 110 is recessed with a bottom seal. The lower part 118 of the bottom cap 111 is provided with an external cap provided with a wheel which can be screwed to rotate the central rod 110 from the outside. In this embodiment, the wheel is "+" shaped, but other shapes are envisioned to provide substantially equivalent performance.

Para 56 to this end, portable fire extinguisher embodiments are disclosed above. It will be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already 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.

Industrial applicability

Para 57 industrial applicability is related to fire extinguishers.

Claims (8)

1. A piercing device for a portable fire extinguisher comprising a chamber (22) configured to contain a fire extinguishing material (99) and a pressurized gas cylinder (50) configured to pressurize the chamber (22) when a user actuates the portable fire extinguisher, the piercing device comprising:

A lift plate (55);

A spike (62), said spike (62) connected to said riser (55), said spike (62) configured to pierce said pressurized gas cylinder (50) thereby releasing gas from said pressurized gas cylinder (50) into said chamber (22) of said portable fire extinguisher; and

A trigger device (60), said trigger device (60) being connected to said lift plate (55), wherein movement of said trigger device (60) from a first position to a second position causes corresponding movement of said lift plate (55) and said spike (62) and causes said spike (62) to pierce said pressurized gas cylinder (50) and release gas from said pressurized gas cylinder (50) into said chamber (22).

2. A lancing device according to claim 1, wherein movement of the trigger device (60) comprises downward movement of the trigger device (60) towards the chamber (22) and upward movement of the riser (55) and lancet (62) away from the chamber (22).

3. A lancing device according to claim 1, wherein the lancet (62) is connected to a threaded holder (56) configured to receive the pressurised gas cylinder (50).

4. a puncture device according to claim 1, wherein the lift plate (55) is biased away from the pressurized gas cylinder (50) by a return spring (54).

5. A method for activating a portable fire extinguisher (19) comprising a chamber (22) configured to contain a fire extinguishing material (99) and a pressurized gas cylinder (50) configured to pressurize the chamber (22) when the portable fire extinguisher is activated by a user, the method comprising:

Moving the safety catch (72) from the first safety catch position to the second safety catch position, thereby unlocking the triggering device (60); and

Moving the trigger device (60) from a first trigger position to a second trigger position;

wherein movement of the trigger device (60) includes movement of a spike (62) connected to the trigger device (60) to pierce the pressurized gas cylinder (50) to release gas from the pressurized gas cylinder (50) into the chamber (22).

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the movement of the safety catch (72) includes releasing or ejecting a safety indicator (73).

7. The method of claim 5, wherein,

Moving the trigger device (60) from the first trigger position to the second trigger position comprises moving the trigger device (60) in a first direction;

The movement of the lancet (62) includes moving the lancet (62) in a second, opposite direction.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

A return spring is used to bias the spike (62) away from the pressurized gas cylinder (50).