Patent · US Expired

Detecting the presence of a fire

US5612537A · kind A · utility

4Cited by
2References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 1, 1994
Grant dateMar 18, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 1, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG08B17/12
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Apparatus for detecting the presence of a fire includes a pair of detectors for radiation characteristic of a fire, e.g. at 4.3 microns, and a further detector for radiation characteristic of a black body, e.g. at 3.8 microns. Filters select the detector output components at flame flicker frequencies. The filtered outputs of the detector pair are cross-correlated to produce a relatively noise-free signal. This signal is divided by a factor obtained by cross-correlating the further detector filtered output with the average of the detector pair filtered outputs. The result of the division is applied to a threshold-responsive circuit. Thus the relatively noise-free signal is effectively subjected to a threshold which is proportional to the degree of similarity between the variations with time of the output signal of the further detector and the output signals of the detector pair.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.