US-20260124481-A1 - A PRESSURE GAUGE FOR A PORTABLE PRESSURIZED FIRE EXTINGUISHER

US20260124481A1US 20260124481 A1US20260124481 A1US 20260124481A1US-20260124481-A1

Abstract

A pressure gauge ( 10 ) for a portable pressurized fire extinguisher comprising a pressure sensor ( 30 ), a LoRa radio interface ( 20 ) and a power source ( 70 ); the pressure sensor ( 30 ) is configured to sense an inner gas pressure of the portable pressurized fire extinguisher; and the LoRa radio interface ( 20 ) is powered by the power source ( 70 ) and configured to transmit pressure data from the pressure sensor ( 30 ) to a management server; wherein the pressure gauge ( 10 ) further comprises a near-field communication NFC interface ( 40 ), which is configured to send and receive pressure data to and from the pressure sensor ( 30 ).

Inventors

Ahmed MIREE

Assignees

PROGRESSIVE SAFETY SWEDEN AB

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20230927
Priority Date: 20220929

Claims (17)

1 . A pressure gauge for a portable pressurized fire extinguisher comprising a pressure sensor, a LoRa radio interface and a power source; wherein the pressure sensor is configured to sense an inner gas pressure of the portable pressurized fire extinguisher; and the LoRa radio interface is powered by the power source and configured to transmit pressure data from the pressure sensor to a management server; wherein the pressure gauge further comprises a near-field communication NFC interface, which is configured to send and receive pressure data to and from the pressure sensor.
2 . The pressure gauge according to claim 1 , wherein said pressure gauge is configured to have an upper pressure threshold and/or a lower pressure threshold for the inner gas pressure of the portable pressurized fire extinguisher.
3 . The pressure gauge according to claim 2 , wherein the upper pressure threshold and/or the lower pressure threshold can be updated by an external device through the pressure data communicated by the NFC interface.
4 . The pressure gauge according to claim 2 , wherein the LoRa radio interface is configured to only transmit pressure data from the pressure sensor to the management server when the upper and/or lower threshold is/are reached.
5 . The pressure gauge according to claim 2 , wherein said pressure gauge is configured to send an alarm to the management server when the upper pressure threshold and/or the lower pressure threshold is/are exceeded.
6 . The pressure gauge according to claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor, wherein the pressure gauge is configured to have an upper temperature threshold and/or a lower temperature threshold for the surroundings of the portable pressurized fire extinguisher.
7 . The pressure gauge according to claim 6 , wherein said pressure gauge is configured to send an alarm to the management server when the upper temperature threshold and/or the lower temperature threshold is/are exceeded.
8 . The pressure gauge according to claim 1 , wherein the power source is an electric battery.
9 . The pressure gauge according to claim 1 , further comprising a motion sensor, such as an accelerometer, configured to detect a displacement of the portable pressurized fire extinguisher.
10 . The pressure gauge according to claim 9 , wherein said pressure gauge is configured to send an alarm to the management server when a motion threshold is exceeded.
11 . The pressure gauge according to claim 1 , further comprising a light indicator, such as a LED light indicator.
12 . The pressure gauge according to claim 11 , wherein said light indicator is configured to display a status of the portable pressurized fire extinguisher, said status being defined as normal, low pressure or high pressure.
13 . The pressure gauge according to claim 11 , wherein said light indicator is configured to display a light signal when the upper pressure threshold and/or the lower pressure threshold is/are exceeded.
14 . The pressure gauge according to claim 11 , wherein said light indicator is activatable by a user, such as by papping or touching said light indicator by a user.
15 . A portable pressurized fire extinguisher comprising the pressure gauge according to claim 1 .
16 . A use of the pressure gauge, according to claim 1 , for monitoring a portable pressurized fire extinguisher.
17 . A system comprising a plurality of pressure gauges as defined in claim 1 and plurality of portable pressurized fire extinguishers, wherein each one of the plurality of pressure gauges is connected to each one of the plurality of portable pressurized fire extinguisher.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to a pressure gauge for a portable pressurized fire extinguisher comprising a pressure sensor, a LoRa radio interface and a power source, a system and uses thereof. BACKGROUND ART A fire extinguisher is an active fire protection device used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergency situations. Typically, a fire extinguisher consists of a hand-held cylindrical pressure vessel comprising a fire extinguishing agent that can be discharged to control a fire. A fire extinguisher in the commercial/professional market undergoes inspections regularly. The service is performed by a trained technician from a fire extinguisher company. In connection with the service, the technician makes sure to check the pressure level and that the extinguisher is undamaged and in its place. Since this service is performed at regular intervals, sometimes once a year, it is not entirely certain that the fire extinguisher is functional/accessible when a fire occurs. Additionally, lack of maintenance can lead to a fire extinguisher that does not work when an emergency situation arises. In the worst cases, the lack of maintenance can lead to the explosion of the fire extinguisher, which continues to cause deaths every year. The solutions as known in prior art require the inspection of the fire extinguishers in place, which requires complex maintenance schedules and a high number of employees. Moreover, even solutions with some degree of external monitoring also require inspection for regularly exchanging the energy source of those solutions, which increases costs and management complexity. It would thereby be beneficial to provide a solution where fewer periodical inspections are required and that can continuously monitor the fire extinguisher for longer periods of time. Other applications would also benefit from said solution, such as gas cylinders for use in hospitals and/or industry. SUMMARY OF INVENTION An object of the disclosure is to at least partially overcome the above problems, such as to provide a pressure gauge which can be monitored all the time. Another object of the disclosure is to provide a pressure gauge which requires low energy for functioning and that sends an alarm when a threshold is reached. The objects are solved by providing a pressure gauge for a portable pressurized fire extinguisher comprising a pressure sensor, a LoRa radio interface and a power source, the pressure sensor being configured to sense an inner gas pressure of the portable pressurized fire extinguisher, and the LoRa radio interface being powered by the power source and configured to transmit pressure data from the pressure sensor to a management server, wherein the pressure gauge further comprises a near-field communication (NFC) interface, which is configured to send and receive pressure data to and from the pressure sensor. One exemplary effect of the disclosed pressure gauge is the provision of a low energy consumption device which can monitor the inner gas pressure of the portable pressurized fire extinguisher. Said portable pressurized fire extinguisher consumes less energy due to its low energy consumption components, which provides a device that requires less regular maintenance by trained personnel and that allows monitoring of the portable pressurized fire extinguisher for longer time periods. Additionally, said device is advantageously configured to send and receive pressure data to a management server, thereby allowing continuously monitoring of pressure data. Said continuously monitoring advantageously provides a portable pressurized fire extinguisher which is ready for use and not for instance with a pressure value outside the requirements. The NFC interface may also be configured to send and receive other relevant data, for instance temperature data from a temperature sensor or movement data from a motion sensor, as described elsewhere herein. The pressure gauge according to the disclosure may be used for any application where a pressure gauge is be needed, such as for therapeutic gases stored in cylinders at hospitals, gases stored in cylinders for use in industry and more. According to one exemplary embodiment, said pressure gauge is configured to have an upper pressure threshold and/or a lower pressure threshold for the inner gas pressure of the portable pressurized fire extinguisher. One effect thereof is that said upper and lower pressure thresholds advantageously provide a pressure range considered a working pressure for normal operation, a range where the pressure is considered too high and/or a range where the pressure is considered too low. According to one exemplary embodiment, the LoRa radio interface is configured to only transmit pressure data from the pressure sensor to the management server when the upper and/or lower threshold is/are reached, thus significantly reducing the energy consumption of the pressure gauge. The pressure gauge may have only