Early fire detection method and apparatus

Patent 6184792 Issued on February 6, 2001. Estimated Expiration Date:

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.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Fire detection system
Patent #: 5153722
Issued on: 10/06/1992
Inventor: Goedeke, et al.

Flame monitoring apparatus and method having a second signal processing means for detecting a frequency higher in range than the previously detected frequencies
Patent #: 5191220
Issued on: 03/02/1993
Inventor: Innes

Surveillance system
Patent #: 5202759
Issued on: 04/13/1993
Inventor: Laycock

Integrated imaging sensor/neural network controller for combustion systems
Patent #: 5249954
Issued on: 10/05/1993
Inventor: Allen, et al.

Surveillance monitor system using image processing for monitoring fires and thefts
Patent #: 5289275
Issued on: 02/22/1994
Inventor: Ishii, et al.

Flame detection method and apparatus
Patent #: 5510772
Issued on: 04/23/1996
Inventor: Lasenby

Method and detector for detecting a flame
Patent #: 5594421
Issued on: 01/14/1997
Inventor: Thuillard

Plural-wavelength flame detector that discriminates between direct and reflected radiation
Patent #: 5625342
Issued on: 04/29/1997
Inventor: Hall, et al.

Flame imaging system
Patent #: 5726632
Issued on: 03/10/1998
Inventor: Barnes, et al.

System for the early detection of fires
Patent #: 5751209
Issued on: 05/12/1998
Inventor: Werner, et al.

More ...

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

Guffey; Larry J.

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.