Detecting fire using cameras

A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having code stored thereon, the computer readable medium comprising:

• executable code that receives a plurality of frames of video information;
• executable code that determines an energy indicator for each of a subset of the plurality of frames;
• executable code that determines whether a plurality of characteristics indicative of fire are present, said plurality of characteristics including a hotspot, flame and smoke, each of said plurality of characteristics having a corresponding predetermined pattern as a function of time, wherein a determination regarding the presence of at least one of the plurality of characteristics is made in response to the energy indicator for each of the subset of the plurality of frames corresponding to a predetermined pattern that is a function of time for said at least one characteristic, wherein said executable code that determines whether a plurality of characteristics indicative of fire are present further includes executable code that:
• determines a first result indicating whether a hotspot is detected;
• determines a second result indicating whether a flame is detected;
• and
• determines a third result indicating whether smoke is detected, each of said first result, said second result and said third result being determined independently without using any of the other results;
• and
• executable code that detects the presence of fire in accordance with whether said plurality of characteristics indicative of fire are present using at least said first result, said second result, and said third result.

A system for fire detection comprising:

• a plurality of cameras that provides a plurality of video input signals;
• a video control unit, coupled to said plurality of cameras, including two processing boards for processing said plurality of video input signals producing a system fire detection signal, said two processing boards configured in one of a first configuration and a second configuration, said first configuration including said first processing board processing a first portion of said video input signals and said second processing board processing a second portion of said video input signals, said second configuration including said first processing board having functionality identical to that of said second processing board and, when one of said first and said second processing boards fails, the other of said first and second processing boards processes all video input signals, wherein said system fire detection signal is produced using at least three inputs, each of said at least three inputs indicating whether presence of a different one of a hotspot, flame or smoke is detected, each of said at least three inputs being determined independently without using any of the other inputs;
• and
• a conventional smoke detection control unit that outputs a smoke detection signal that is an input to at least one of said first and said second processing boards.

A method of detecting a fire comprising:

• receiving a plurality of video input signals;
• determining a feature for each of a subset of the plurality of video signals;
• determining whether a plurality of characteristics indicative of fire are present, said plurality of characteristics including a hotspot, flame and smoke, each of said plurality of characteristics having a corresponding predetermined pattern as a function of time, wherein a determination regarding the presence of at least one of the plurality of characteristics is made in response to the feature for each of the subset of the plurality of frames corresponding to a predetermined pattern that is a function of time for said at least one characteristic, wherein said determining whether a plurality of characteristics indicative of fire are present further includes:
• determining a first result indicating whether a hotspot is detected;
• determining a second result indicating whether a flame is detected;
• and
• determining a third result indicating whether smoke is detected, each of said first result, said second result and said third result being determined independently without using any of the other results;
• producing, by a conventional smoke detection control unit, a smoke detection signal;
• and
• detecting the presence of fire using said smoke detection signal and in accordance with whether said plurality of characteristics indicative of fire are present using at least said first result, said second result, and said third result.

A computer program product including a computer readable medium comprising executable stored thereon for detecting a fire, the computer readable medium comprising:

• executable code that receives a plurality of video input signals;
• executable code that determines a feature for each of a subset of the plurality of video signals;
• executable code that determines whether a plurality of characteristics indicative of fire are present, said plurality of characteristics including a hotspot, flame and smoke, each of said plurality of characteristics having a corresponding predetermined pattern as a function of time, wherein a determination regarding the presence of at least one of the plurality of characteristics is made in response to the feature for each of the subset of the plurality of frames corresponding to a predetermined pattern that is a function of time for said at least one characteristic, wherein said executable code that determines whether a plurality of characteristics indicative of fire are present further includes:
• executable code that determines a first result indicating whether a hotspot is detected;
• executable code that determines a second result indicating whether a flame is detected;
• and
• executable code that determines a third result indicating whether smoke is detected, each of said first result, said second result and said third result being determined independently without using any of the other results;
• executable code that produces, by a conventional smoke detection control unit, a smoke detection signal;
• and
• executable code that detects the presence of fire using said smoke detection signal and in accordance with whether said plurality of characteristics indicative of fire are present using at least said first result, said second result, and said third result.