Turret targeting system and method for a fire fighting vehicle
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of controlling a fire fighting vehicle having a turret, comprising:
- determining a location of a region of interest of a fire using an electronic device; and
adjusting a position and orientation of a nozzle of the turret responsive to the determining step, the adjusting step being performed using a turret motion controller;
wherein the turret of the fire fighting vehicle comprises a first arm, a second arm pivotably coupled to the first arm, and a third arm pivotably coupled to the second arm, the nozzle being coupled to the third arm; and
wherein at least one of the first arm, the second arm, or the third arm is extendable lengthwise.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A turret control system and method for a fire fighting vehicle is disclosed. The turret control system includes one or more control modules, such as an envelope control module, turret targeting module, a turret pan module, a turret deploy module, a turret store module. The preferred turret control system also provides improved turret control flexibility and improved operator feedback.
272 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A method of controlling a fire fighting vehicle having a turret, comprising:
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determining a location of a region of interest of a fire using an electronic device; and adjusting a position and orientation of a nozzle of the turret responsive to the determining step, the adjusting step being performed using a turret motion controller; wherein the turret of the fire fighting vehicle comprises a first arm, a second arm pivotably coupled to the first arm, and a third arm pivotably coupled to the second arm, the nozzle being coupled to the third arm; and wherein at least one of the first arm, the second arm, or the third arm is extendable lengthwise. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A fire fighting vehicle comprising:
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(A) a chassis and a vehicle body mounted on the chassis, the chassis and vehicle body in combination including an operator compartment capable of receiving a human operator, the operator compartment including steering and throttle controls for receiving operator inputs to control movement of the fire fighting vehicle along a road; (B) a turret including (1) an adjustable mount assembly, the adjustable mount assembly being mounted to the chassis and vehicle body combination, and the mount assembly including a fire-extinguishing agent delivery system capable of transporting a fire-extinguishing agent through the mount assembly, the adjustable mount assembly including a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm, wherein the second arm is pivotably coupled to the first arm and the third arm is pivotably coupled to the second arm, and wherein at least one of the first arm, the second arm, or the third arm is extendable lengthwise; (2) a turret nozzle, the turret nozzle being mounted to the adjustable mount assembly, and the turret nozzle being capable of receiving the fire-extinguishing agent from the mount assembly; and (C) a turret control system, the turret control system including a plurality of actuators capable of adjusting the mount assembly to permit the position and orientation of the turret nozzle to be adjusted, the turret control system further including a microprocessor-based turret controller coupled to the plurality of actuators, the turret controller being capable of determining a location of a region of interest of a fire and transmitting control signals to the plurality of actuators to adjust a position and orientation of a nozzle of the turret, the position and orientation of the nozzle of the turret being adjusted such that the nozzle is aimed at the region of interest and thereby dispenses the fire-extinguishing agent toward the region of interest. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A fire fighting system comprising:
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(A) a handheld pointing device, the pointing device being capable of being held by a human operator and transmitting a signal towards a region of interest to designate the region of interest; and (B) a fire fighting vehicle, the fire fighting vehicle comprising (1) a turret comprising (a) an adjustable mount assembly, the adjustable mount assembly being mounted to the chassis and vehicle body combination, and the mount assembly including a fire-extinguishing agent delivery system capable of transporting a fire-extinguishing agent through the mount assembly, (b) a turret nozzle, the turret nozzle being mounted to the adjustable mount assembly, and the turret nozzle being capable of receiving the fire-extinguishing agent from the mount assembly, and (2) a turret control system, the turret control system including (a) a plurality of actuators, the plurality of actuators being capable of adjusting the mount assembly to permit the position and orientation of the turret nozzle to be adjusted, (b) a detector, the detector being capable of receiving the signal designating the region of interest after the signal is reflected from the region of interest, and (c) a microprocessor-based turret controller, the turret controller being coupled to the plurality of actuators and to the detector, the turret controller being capable of locating the region of interest based on position information received from the detector pertaining to the reflected signal, the turret controller being capable of transmitting control signals to the plurality of actuators to adjust a position and orientation of a nozzle of the turret, the position and orientation of the nozzle of the turret being adjusted such that the nozzle is aimed at the region of interest and thereby dispenses the fire-extinguishing agent toward the region of interest. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 21, 22)
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17. A method of controlling a fire fighting vehicle having a turret, the method comprising:
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determining a location at which a pointing device is pointed using an electronic device, the pointing device being held by a human operator and being pointed by the human operator to designate a region of interest; adjusting a position and orientation of a nozzle of the turret using information provided by the electronic device to aim the nozzle at the region of interest; and dispensing fire extinguishing agent from the nozzle of the turret towards the region of interest. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A method of controlling a fire fighting vehicle having a turret, the method comprising:
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determining a location of a hot spot of a fire, the determining step being performed using an infrared imaging device having the hot spot within a field of view of the infrared imaging device; adjusting the turret in response to the location of the hot spot of the fire; and dispensing a stream of fire extinguishing agent from the turret at approximately the location of the hot spot of the fire; wherein the turret of the fire fighting vehicle comprises a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm; wherein the second arm is pivotably coupled to the first arm and the third arm is pivotably coupled to the second arm; and wherein at least one of the first arm, the second arm, or the third arm is extendable lengthwise.
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20. A fire fighting vehicle comprising:
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(A) a turret comprising (1) an adjustable mount assembly, the adjustable mount assembly being mounted to the chassis and vehicle body combination, and the mount assembly including a fire-extinguishing agent delivery system capable of transporting a fire-extinguishing agent through the mount assembly, (2) a turret nozzle, the turret nozzle being mounted to the adjustable mount assembly, and the turret nozzle being capable of receiving the fire-extinguishing agent from the mount assembly, and (B) a power distribution and control system, the power distribution and control system further including (1) a power source; (2) a power transmission link; (3) a plurality of output devices, the plurality of output devices including a plurality of actuators capable of adjusting the mount assembly to adjust the position and orientation of the turret nozzle, (4) a plurality of input devices, the plurality of input devices including a plurality of position indicators capable of providing position information pertaining to the position and orientation of the nozzle, (5) a communication network, and (6) a plurality of microprocessor-based interface modules, the plurality of interface modules being coupled to the power source by way of the power transmission link, the plurality of interface modules being interconnected to each other by way of the communication network, and the plurality of interface modules being coupled to the plurality of input devices and to the plurality of output devices by way of respective dedicated communication links, and the plurality of interface modules including an interface module that is coupled to at least some of the plurality of position sensors and at least some of the plurality of actuators; and wherein the plurality of interface modules, the plurality of input devices, and the plurality of output devices are distributed throughout the fire fighting vehicle; and wherein each respective interface module is locally disposed with respect to the respective input and output devices to which the respective interface module is coupled so as to permit distributed data collection from the plurality of input devices and distributed power distribution to the plurality of output devices. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A fire fighting vehicle comprising:
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a turret which is used to deliver a stream of fire-extinguishing agent from the fire fighting vehicle, the turret being adjustable to permit the position and orientation of the stream to be adjusted horizontally and vertically; and a microprocessor-based turret controller which is used to determine a region of interest of a fire and to adjust the position and orientation of the stream to dispense fire-extinguishing agent toward the region of interest; wherein the turret comprises a first arm, a second arm, and a third arm; and wherein the second arm is pivotably coupled to the first arm and the third arm is pivotably coupled to the second arm; and wherein at least one of the first arm, the second arm, or the third arm is extendable lengthwise.
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26. A method of controlling a fire fighting vehicle having a turret, comprising:
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determining a location of a region of interest of a fire using an electronic device; and adjusting a position and orientation of a nozzle of the turret responsive to the determining step, the adjusting step being performed using a turret motion controller; wherein the fire fighting vehicle comprises an articulated boom which includes an arm that is extendable lengthwise. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification