Detecting fire using cameras

• US 20040061777A1
• Filed: 05/20/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Simmonds Precision Products, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Simmonds Precision Products, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Sadok, Mokhtar
• Granted Patent: US 7,256,818 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/83
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/125 by using a video camera to detect fire or smoke

Abstract

Detecting a fire, such as a fire in an aircraft cargo bay, includes receiving a plurality of frames of video information, determining an energy indicator for each of a subset of the plurality of frames, and detecting the presence of fire in response to the energy indicator for each of the subset of the plurality of frames corresponding to a predetermined pattern as a function of time. Detecting a fire may also include comparing energy indicators for each of the subset of the plurality of frames to a reference frame. The reference frame may correspond to a video frame taken when no fire is present or a video frame immediately preceding each of the subset of the plurality of frames. At least some of the subset of the plurality of frames may be provided by a camera having a sensitivity of between 400 nm and 1000 nm that may generates 640×480 pixels per frame. At least some of the subset of the plurality of frames may be provided by a CCD camera or a CMOS camera. At least some of the subset of the plurality of frames may be provided by a camera having a sensitivity of between 7 and 14 micrometers, which may be an IR camera.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a fire, comprising:

receiving a plurality of frames of video information;

determining an energy indicator for each of a subset of the plurality of frames; and

detecting the presence of fire in response to the energy indicator for each of the subset of the plurality of frames corresponding to a predetermined pattern as a function of time.

2. A method, according to claim 1, further comprising:

comparing energy indicators for each of the subset of the plurality of frames to a reference frame.

3. A method, according to claim 2, wherein the reference frame corresponds to a video frame taken when no fire is present.

4. A method, according to claim 2, wherein the reference frame corresponds to a video frame immediately preceding each of the subset of the plurality of frames.

5. A method, according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the subset of the plurality of frames are provided by a camera having a sensitivity of between 400 nm and 1000 nm.

6. A method, according to claim 5, wherein at least some of the subset of the plurality of frames are provided by a camera that generates 640×

480 pixels per frame.

7. A method, according to claim 6, wherein at least some of the subset of the plurality of frames are provided by a CCD camera.

8. A method, according to claim 6, wherein at least some of the subset of the plurality of frames are provided by a CMOS camera.

9. A method, according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the subset of the plurality of frames are provided by a camera having a sensitivity of between 7 and 14 micrometers.

10. A method, according to claim 9, wherein at least some of the subset of the plurality of frames are provided by an IR camera.