U.S. patents available from 1976 to present.
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Early fire detection method and apparatus

Patent 6184792 Issued on February 6, 2001. Estimated Expiration Date: Icon_subject April 19, 2020. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Patent References

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Inventors

Application

No. 552688 filed on 04/19/2000

US Classes:

340/578, By radiant energy250/336.1, INVISIBLE RADIANT ENERGY RESPONSIVE ELECTRIC SIGNALLING250/339.15, Sensing flame or explosion340/577, Flame348/82, Hazardous or inaccessible382/100, APPLICATIONS382/195, Local or regional features382/203, Shape and form analysis382/225, Cluster analysis700/274Control of combustion or heating apparatus (e.g., kiln, furnace, autoclave, burner, combusion system)

Examiners

Primary: Lee, Benjamin C.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

International Class

G08B 017/12

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for detecting fire in a monitored area. In a preferred embodiment, this method is seen to comprise the steps of: (1) capturing video images of the monitored area in the form of two-dimensional bitmaps whose spatial resolution is determined by the number of pixels comprising the bitmaps, (2) cyclically accumulating a sequential set of these captured bitmaps for analysis of the temporal variations being experienced in the pixel brightness values, (3) examining these sets of bitmaps to identify clusters of contiguous pixels having either a specified static component or a specified dynamic component of their temporally varying brightness values, (4) comparing the patterns of the shapes of these identified, static and dynamic clusters to identify those exhibiting patterns which are similar to those exhibited by the comparable bright static core and the dynamic crown regions of flickering open flames, and (5) signaling the detection of a fire in the monitored area when the degree of match between these identified, static and dynamic clusters and the comparable regions of flickering open flames exceeds a prescribed matching threshold value.

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