Multilevel Fire Detector
AssigneeBrian Michael Coyle
InventorsBrian Michael Coyle, Alys Larsen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multilevel fire detector system includes a vessel with low-cost thermoelectric sensors such as thermopiles, facing multiple directions, that amplify infrared (IR) wavelengths particular to wildfire. A controller processes and compares IR data patterns in various ways and determines if potential fire risk or heat surges exceeds a threshold, which is a function of on-board and external data, then produces a warning signal transmitted by a communication system. The system may be deployed on its own, or configured with infrastructure, including transmission lines implicated in wildfires.
Claims20
A method of providing a warning signal of a fire risk or heat surge, comprising:
- a vessel with at least a first side oriented in a first direction, and at least a second side oriented in a second direction;
- positioning a plurality of thermoelectric sensors, each sensor composed of a plurality of resistors, in the at least first and the second sides;
- the plurality of thermoelectric sensors in the at least first side being oriented in the first direction;
- the plurality of thermoelectric sensors in the at least second side being oriented in the second direction;
- collecting a data output from the plurality of resistors and the plurality of thermoelectric sensors from the at least first and the second sides in a controller;
- processing the data output in a sensor fusion algorithm in the controller to generate an initial estimation of the probability of a fire risk or heat surge;
- if the probability estimation is above a threshold, providing the warning signal.
A fire detection system composed of a vessel, comprising:
- at least a first side;
- a plurality of thermoelectric sensors oriented in a spatial direction of the at least first side;
- a power source;
- a direction measurement system;
- a controller;
- a communication system;
- the plurality of thermoelectric sensors producing at least one data pattern stream of a plurality of IR energies;
- the direction measurement system produces an orientation data of the plurality of IR energies;
- the controller stores at least one typical IR energy pattern data associated with the orientation data;
- the algorithm processes a combination of the at least one data pattern stream, the orientation data, and the at least one typical IR energy pattern data, and produces a warning signal if a fire risk or a heat surge is predicted;
- the communication system transmits the warning signal.
A fire detection device, comprising:
- a first group made up of a plurality of first thermoelectric sensors that are disposed in a first direction, and at least a second group made up of a plurality of at least a second thermoelectric sensors that are disposed in at least a second direction,
- wherein
- a controller measures a first data stream from the first group and measures at least a second data stream from the at least second group, and
- a measured difference between the first and the at least second data streams that exceeds a predetermined threshold triggers a warning signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.