DE202023101886U1 - Mobile extinguishing container - Google Patents

Abstract

Mobile fire-fighting container (1) for damaged and/or burning, driverless, electrically operated transport robots, the fire-fighting container (1) being a watertight metal box (2) which is open at the top and has a base (3), two side walls (4), a rear wall (5 ) and a front wall (6), wherein the front wall (6) can be folded forward to open the metal box (2) and in the opened state as a ramp (6) for pulling up the damaged transport robot and for subsequently closing the metal box (2) with a cable winch (16) being arranged on the outside of the rear wall (5), the cable winch (16) being connected via a watertight bushing (19) in the rear wall (5) to a pull cable leading into the interior of the metal box (2). (7) and a device arranged thereon for attaching the damaged and/or burning transport robot, characterized in that four rollers or wheels ensuring the mobility of the fire-fighting container (1) are mounted on the underside of the floor (3) of the metal box (2). are arranged, wherein the extinguishing container (1) has a compact, lightweight construction and can be used and operated manually by a single person without additional engine power.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

The present invention relates to a mobile fire-fighting container for damaged and/or burning electrically operated transport robots, the fire-fighting container comprising a watertight metal box which is open at the top and has a floor, two side walls and two end walls, the front end wall being hinged forward to open the metal box and in the unfolded state is designed as a ramp provided for pulling in the transport robot and for closing the metal box.

STATE OF THE ART

Electric vehicles and electrically powered transport robots are usually equipped with powerful lithium-ion batteries, which can catch fire in the event of an accident, other damage, overload or a technical defect. It is well known that such a battery fire is difficult or impossible to extinguish. It is therefore common practice to control a battery fire by cooling and allowing the battery to burn out. The disadvantage of such a procedure is that large quantities of extinguishing water are required and environmentally harmful liquids or gases are released, which get into the ground or the environment with the extinguishing water. In addition, serious damage can occur in production plants when transport robots are on fire, in particular due to the development of heavy smoke, whereby there is of course a risk of personal injury as well as property damage. There is also the risk that if the battery is damaged, the entire vehicle will be live, making it more difficult to extinguish the vehicle. Some efforts have therefore been made in the past to indicate and make available devices or methods in order to be able to safely extinguish and salvage damaged and/or burning electric vehicles.

In the DE 20 2019 104 363 U1 describes a vehicle for receiving a wrecked hybrid or electric vehicle. This is a trailer equipped with a container, with the side wall forming the rear side of the container being able to be folded down as a ramp leading into the container. The hybrid or electric vehicle is pulled into the container via the ramp using a traction device and can be cooled in the liquid-tight container by flooding the container with a coolant. The heating of the coolant is controlled until the end of the battery fire.

subject of DE 10 2020 000 211 A1 is a transportable extinguishing container with extinguishing equipment for vehicles, especially hybrid or electric vehicles. The extinguishing container is closed by four side walls and an upper closing area, while the lower floor area is open. The fire-fighting container can be placed over the burning vehicle with the help of a crane, so that the fire can be extinguished with a lack of oxygen or with other extinguishing agents.

The DE 10 2016 211 854 B3 describes a container for recovering damaged vehicles, in particular damaged electric vehicles, with a container floor and several side walls that define a receiving area for the vehicle. The damaged vehicle is pulled into the interior of the container via a ramp with the help of a cable winch and, after closing the tailgate, is flooded via one or more connections to introduce coolant or extinguishing agent.

The salvage and fire-fighting procedures described above are designed for passenger cars in normal traffic, with the fire-fighting containers having to be brought to the site by vehicle and, under certain circumstances, used there with the help of a crane. As a rule, the deployment of several people is required for salvage or the extinguishing process. The systems are too cumbersome for extinguishing driverless transport robots, which are mainly used in industrial or commercial buildings. Especially in a warehouse or production hall, where driverless transport robots are often used, a battery fire can have devastating consequences that can be prevented or reduced if the burning transport robot is quickly and safely removed from the endangered area and taken to an area where the vehicle can be extinguished in a controlled manner without endangering the operating systems or the personnel.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to offer a device which is designed to salvage and, in a controlled manner, secure or extinguish small to medium-sized, battery-operated driverless transport vehicles in the event of an accident, an electrical defect or fire.

The transport vehicles that come into question for this purpose are often referred to by the abbreviations AGV = driverless transport vehicle, AGV = driverless transport system, AGV = automated guided vehicles, AMR = autonomous mobile vehicle in professional circles Robots, AIV = Autonomous Intelligent Vehicle and SGV, LGV, HGV = Small, Large, Heavy automated Guided Vehicle.

PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

The problem is solved with the aid of a device according to claim 1.

The subject matter of claim 1 is a mobile fire-fighting container for damaged and/or burning driverless electrically operated transport robots, the fire-fighting container comprising a watertight metal box which is open at the top and has a base, two side walls, a rear wall and a front wall. The end wall can be folded forward to open the metal box and, in the opened state, is designed as a ramp provided for pulling up the damaged or burning transport robot and for closing the metal box. A cable winch is arranged on the outside of the rear wall, which is connected via a watertight bushing in the rear wall to a traction cable leading into the interior of the metal box and a device arranged thereon for attaching the damaged and/or burning transport robot. What is special about the mobile extinguishing container is that it has a compact, lightweight design and can be used and operated manually by a single person without engine power, for which four castors or wheels are arranged on the underside of the floor of the metal box, ensuring the mobility of the extinguishing container.

In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the rollers or wheels are designed as heavy-duty rollers, the two rear heavy-duty rollers arranged in the vicinity of the rear wall being equipped with a brake, while the two front rollers arranged in the vicinity of the front wall are freely rotatable.

Since the metal box is intended to accommodate the wrecked and/or burning transport robot in order to then be flooded with extinguishing agent, a circumferential seal is preferably arranged on the ramp to seal the metal box closed with the ramp.

The device for attaching the wrecked and/or burning transport robot is preferably a safety net that can easily be thrown over the transport robot by one person, which is then pulled into the metal box by the same person using the cable winch. Alternatively, a belt can also be used, which is placed around the vehicle to be recovered. A further advantageous embodiment provides that a hook is arranged at the end of the traction cable, which can be hooked into a suitable eyelet on the transport robot. The pull cable and the device for attaching the damaged and/or burning transport robot are of course made of non-combustible material.

The mobile extinguishing container is generally designed in such a way that it can be easily operated and used by one person. The bottom of the metal box and the top of the ramp are covered with continuous rollers mounted transversely to the pulling direction of the pull rope in order to keep the frictional forces low when the transport robot is pulled in, so that the transport robot can be pulled up and in by a single person can. Furthermore, a control handle for the operator is provided in the area of the rear wall or in the rear area of the side wall, which is equipped with a handbrake in a particularly preferred embodiment of the extinguishing container, via which the castors or wheels can be blocked in order to safely pick up the burning to ensure transport robot. In this context, devices for attaching counterweights should also be mentioned, which are provided as weight compensation for the transport robot pulled into the metal box via the ramp. These devices are arranged on the underside of the floor in the rear area of the fire-fighting container and are designed in such a way that the counterweights can be pushed into a type of receptacle provided on the underside of the floor. Alternatively, eyelets can also be provided on the underside of the floor, into which the counterweights can be hung.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one fire extinguisher is permanently installed on the outside of the side walls and/or the rear end wall, with the extinguishing hose of the at least one fire extinguisher leading into the interior of the metal box. This allows one operator to flood the extinguishing container as soon as the burning transport robot is in the closed metal box.

Other advantageous technical details are shock absorbers or lifting cylinders, which are arranged in the area of the ramp to enable the ramp to be folded down gently. In addition, handles are provided on the side wall of the extinguishing container and in the side area of the ramp, which make it easier for the operator to handle the extinguishing container according to the invention.

Since there is a risk of damage to the battery that the transport robot is under voltage, it is provided in a preferred embodiment of the extinguishing container that this for the safety of the operator with a equipped with a grounding cable or a grounding bar.

As already described above, the concept for the mobile extinguishing container according to the invention provides that it can be easily operated by a single person, for example to quickly move a damaged and/or burning transport robot from a critical zone in the production or storage area to a designated location to where the defective or burning vehicle can then be safely supplied and parked. For safety reasons, the fire-fighting container did not have its own drive and control system, on the one hand to save weight, but also to avoid possible points of attack for the fire or the heat that developed, which would impair the functionality of the fire-fighting container during the salvage of a damaged and/or burning transport robot could be endangered. The transport robots used in the storage or factory buildings can of course have different sizes, and it goes without saying for the person skilled in the art that the fire-fighting containers are adapted to these sizes. The concept described above should be retained in order to ensure that a single person can intervene spontaneously and quickly in order to prevent major damage in the production facility or in the warehouse in the event of an accident. If necessary, a second person can step in as an assistant when salvaging larger and heavier transport robots.

character list

• 1 eine Seitenansicht eines Löschcontainers mit aufgeklappter Rampe,
• 2 einen Blick in einen für die Bergung eines havarierten und/oder brennenden Transportroboters geöffneten Löschcontainer und
• 3 eine Draufsicht auf einen Löschcontainer mit aufgeklappter Rampe.

The proposed device is explained in detail below using a selected example with the aid of drawings. It goes without saying that this example is in no way to be seen as a limitation, but only serves to explain the basic principle of the present invention. show it

• 1 a side view of a fire-fighting container with the ramp open,
• 2 a glimpse into a fire-fighting container opened for the recovery of a damaged and/or burning transport robot and
• 3 a top view of a fire-fighting container with the ramp open.

The 1 is a side view of an extinguishing container 1, which comprises a watertight metal box 2 made up of two side walls 4, a rear wall 5, a front wall 6 and a bottom 3. In the selected representation, the front wall 6, which is designed as a foldable ramp 6 opening into the metal box 2, is opened and prepared for pulling in a damaged and/or burning transport robot. For this purpose, a traction cable 7 with a safety net 8, which is thrown over the transport robot during recovery, leads over the open ramp 6 into the extinguishing container 1 and is connected to a cable winch 16 arranged on the outside of the rear wall 5. An enlarged section shows that the upper side of the ramp 6 is covered with continuous rollers 9 which are arranged transversely to the direction of pull of the pull cable 7 and which are mounted in a lateral bar 10 . In addition to the strip 10, a seal 11 can be seen, which rests against the edges of the side walls 4 to seal the metal box 2 in the closed state when the ramp 6 is folded up. Four heavy-duty castors 12 are arranged on the underside of the floor 3 of the metal box 2, of which only two can be seen in the selected illustration, the rear heavy-duty castor 12 being equipped with a brake 13 which can be actuated by the operator with his foot. Furthermore, a control handle 14 is arranged on the side wall 4 . In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, a handbrake is integrated into the control handle 14, which is in operative connection with the brake 13 on the rear heavy-duty roller 12, whereby the handling of the fire-fighting container 1 is additionally facilitated. At least one fire extinguisher 15 and a winch 16 are arranged on the rear side 5 of the metal box 2 . In the front area of the extinguishing container 1, in the upper part of the lateral edge of the side wall 4, a lock 17 can also be seen, the counterpart 18 of which is provided on the ramp 6 at the same height. On the ramp 6, in the area of the locking counterpart 18, there is also a handle 21, with which the ramp 6 can be held when opening and closing.

subject of 2 is a perspective view of the extinguishing container 1 according to the invention from the position of the damaged and/or burning transport robot. The folded-down ramp 6 with the rollers 9 arranged transversely to the pulling direction of the pulling cable 7 is ready for the transport robot to be pulled up. The rollers 9 are mounted in strips 10, in the vicinity of which, towards the edge of the ramp 6, seals 11 are provided in order to seal the metal box 2 after the ramp 6 has been folded up and closed. In the middle of the back 5, the watertight bushing 19 can be seen with the traction cable 7, at the end of which a safety net 8 is arranged. The bottom 3 of the metal box 2 is also covered with rollers 9, which in turn are also mounted in lateral strips 10. On the edges of the side walls 4 locking devices 17 are arranged, whose counterparts 18 can be found on the edge of the ramp 6 again. At the top of the rear wall 5, two fire hoses 20 can be seen, which are inside the Guide the metal box 2 and allow the extinguishing container 1 to be flooded directly. The flooding takes place either immediately after the transport robot has been loaded or as soon as the discharge container 1 has been transferred to a safety area provided for this purpose.

The 3 shows a top view of the extinguishing container 1 according to the invention with the ramp 6 folded out, the viewer looking at the rollers 9 which are arranged transversely to the pulling direction of the pull cable 7 on the floor 3 of the metal box 2 and the ramp 6. The rollers 9 are mounted in lateral strips 10 in both cases. Two control handles 14 can be seen on the side walls 4, with which the operator directs the extinguishing container 1 to the damaged transport robot. On the rear wall 5, a fire extinguisher 15 and a winch 16 are arranged on the right and left in the middle. The side handles 21 on the ramp 6 are used to open and close the ramp 6.

The mobile fire-fighting container 1 is designed in such a way that it can be easily operated by a single person and used to rescue a burning or damaged transport robot. For this purpose, the mobile fire-fighting container 1 is preferably parked in the immediate vicinity of the production or storage hall in which the transport robots are used, in order to be brought quickly to the burning transport robot in the event of an accident or a fire. The fire-fighting container 1 is parked at a sufficient safety distance in front of the burning electric vehicle and its bow is aimed at the transport robot to be recovered. Then the lock 17, 18 of the front end wall 6 is opened and the ramp 6 is folded down by hand until it rests on the ground. The safety net 8 is placed around the transport robot, which can then be pulled into the metal box 2 using the cable winch 16. Depending on the situation, the brakes 13 can be released or applied during the recovery process, with released brakes 13 enabling the extinguishing container 1 to be aligned with the burning transport robot and this position then being fixed by applying the brakes 13 before the transport robot is pulled into the metal box 2. The ramp 6 is then closed and secured again by hand. The operator can now flood the metal box 2 by actuating the fire extinguisher 15 . Depending on the severity of the fire, the fire-extinguishing container 1 together with the transport robot can be pulled or pushed to a designated safe place before or after flooding and secured there with the brake 13 in order to finally extinguish the fire or to let the transport robot burn down in a controlled manner. In the fire-fighting container 1 according to the invention, any electrical operating unit or drive motor was deliberately dispensed with in order to make the salvage unit insensitive to heat, fire and extinguishing agents. At the same time, the floor 3 and walls 4, 5, 6 were designed in a lightweight construction to enable manual operation by a single person.

Reference List

1

extinguishing container

2

metal box

3

Floor

4

Side wall

5

back panel

6

bulkhead or ramp

7

pull rope

8th

fishing net

9

role

10

strip

11

poetry

12

heavy duty roller

13

brake

14

control handle

15

fire extinguisher

16

winch

17

locking

18

counterpart (locking)

19

execution

20

fire hose

21

Handle

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• DE 202019104363 U1 [0003]
• DE 102020000211 A1 [0004]
• DE 102016211854 B3 [0005]

Claims (10)

Mobile fire-fighting container (1) for damaged and/or burning, driverless, electrically operated transport robots, the fire-fighting container (1) being a watertight metal box (2) which is open at the top and has a base (3), two side walls (4), a rear wall (5 ) and a front wall (6), wherein the front wall (6) can be folded forward to open the metal box (2) and in the opened state as a ramp (6) for pulling up the damaged transport robot and for subsequently closing the metal box (2) with a cable winch (16) being arranged on the outside of the rear wall (5), the cable winch (16) being connected via a watertight bushing (19) in the rear wall (5) to a pull cable leading into the interior of the metal box (2). (7) and a device arranged thereon for attaching the wrecked and/or burning transport robot, characterized in that on the underside of the floor (3) of the metal box (2) there are four rollers or wheels ensuring the mobility of the fire-fighting container (1). are arranged, wherein the extinguishing container (1) has a compact, lightweight construction and can be used and operated manually by a single person without additional engine power. Extinguishing container (1) after claim 1 , characterized in that the rollers or wheels are heavy-duty rollers (12), the two rear heavy-duty rollers (12) arranged in the vicinity of the rear wall (5) being equipped with a brake (13), while the two front ones, in the vicinity of the front wall (6) arranged heavy-duty rollers (12) are freely rotatable. Extinguishing container (1) after claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that a peripheral seal (11) for sealing the metal box (2) closed with the ramp (6) is arranged on the ramp (6). Firefighting container (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 3 , characterized in that the device for attaching the wrecked and/or burning transport robot is a safety net (8). Firefighting container (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 4 , characterized in that the bottom (3) of the metal box (2) and the top of the ramp (6) are covered with continuous rollers (9) mounted transversely to the direction of pull of the pull cable (7). Firefighting container (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 5 , characterized in that at least one fire extinguisher (15) is permanently installed on the outside of the side walls (4) and/or the rear wall (5), the extinguishing hose (20) of the at least one fire extinguisher (15) leading into the interior of the metal box ( 2) leads. Firefighting container (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 6 , characterized in that a control handle (14) for the operator is arranged on the outside of the rear wall (5) and/or a side wall (4). Firefighting container (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 7 , characterized in that shock absorbers and/or lifting cylinders are arranged on the ramp (6). Firefighting container (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 8th , characterized in that the traction cable (7) and the device for attaching the wrecked and / or burning transport robot are made of a non-combustible material. Firefighting container (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 9 , characterized in that devices for attaching counterweights are arranged on the underside of the metal box (2) in the area of the rear wall (5), the counterweights being provided as weight compensation for the transport robot pulled into the metal box (2) via the ramp (6). are.

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