Flame detection device and flame detection

• US 6,373,393 B1
• Filed: 05/27/1999
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hochiki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Hochiki Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Matsukuma, Hidenari, Shima, Hiroshi, Aizawa, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US09/321,184
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 340/578, 340/587, 250/339.15
• US Class Current: 340/578
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/12 Actuation by presence of radiation or particles, e.g. of infrared radiation or of ions

Abstract

A fire detection device comprises a detection element to convert the infrared ray energy into the electric signal, a first extracting unit to extract the signal of a first prescribed frequency range including the flicker frequency of a fire from the output signal of the detection element, a second extracting unit to extract the signal of a second prescribed frequency range including no flicker frequency of a fire but including the frequency on the higher frequency side than that of the first prescribed frequency range from the output signal of the detection element, and a judging unit to judge a fire based on the output signal of the first extracting unit and the output signal of the second extracting unit. The fire detection device is capable of surely discriminating and detecting the flame from other infrared ray energy generation source. A band pass filter or the like need not be increased in number, and the increase in the product price can be prevented. In particular, the flame detection device is capable of rapidly judging a fire, and suitable for practical applications.

Claims

1. A flame detection device comprising:

a detection element to convert the infrared ray energy into the electrical signal;

a first extracting means to extract the representing signal which represents total energy of the first prescribed frequency range including the flicker frequency of the infrared ray energy of the flame from the output signal of said detection element;

a second extracting means to extract the representing signal which represents total energy of the second prescribed frequency range including no flicker frequency fc of the infrared ray energy of the flame, but including the frequency on the higher frequency side than the first prescribed frequency range from the output signal of said detection element; and

a judging means to judge whether or not a fire is generated based on a result of comparing the output signal of said first extracting means with the output signal of said second extracting means when the output signal of said first extracting means is larger than the output signal of said second extracting means by a prescribed value.

2. A flame detection device according to claim 1, wherein generation of a fire is judged when the representing signal extracted by said first extracting means has the level of not less than a first prescribed value in said judging means, and the representing signal extracted by said second extracting means does not have the level of not less than a second prescribed value.

3. A flame detection device according to claim 1, wherein generation of a fire is judged when the ratio of the representing signal extracted by said first extracting means to the representing signal extracted by said second extracting means exceeds a third prescribed value.

4. A flame detection device according to claim 1, wherein said first extracting means and said second extracting means may analyze the frequency of sampling data of the signal from said detection element sampled with the prescribed sample frequency and analyzes a frequency element, then extract an integrated signal level as the representing signal, using a digital filter, a Fast Fourier Transformation method, or a maximum entropy method.

5. A flame detection device according to claim 1, wherein said first prescribed frequency range is set up to include no DC part of the output signal of said detection element.

6. A flame detection device according to claim 1, wherein said second prescribed frequency range includes at least multiple harmonic frequency of each frequency of said first prescribed frequency range.

7. A flame detection device according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said first prescribed frequency range is 0.5 Hz to 8.0 Hz, and said second prescribed frequency range is 8.5 Hz to 16.0 Hz.

8. A flame detection device according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said first prescribed frequency range is 0.25 Hz to 8.0 Hz, and said second prescribed frequency range is 8.25 Hz to 16.0 Hz.

9. A flame detection device comprising:

a detection element to convert the infrared ray energy into the electric signal;

a first extracting means to extract the representing signal which represents total energy of a first prescribed frequency range of 0.5 Hz to 8.0 Hz including no DC part of said output signal but including the flicker frequency fc of the infrared ray energy of the flame from the output signal of said detection element by the Fast Fourier Transformation method;

a second extracting means to extract the representing signal which represents total energy of a second prescribed frequency range of 8.5 Hz to 16.0 Hz including no flicker frequency fc of the infrared ray energy of the flame, but including the frequency on the higher frequency side than that of said first prescribed frequency range from the output signal of said detection element by the Fast Fourier Transformation method; and

a judging means that a fire is generated when the representing signal extracted by said first extracting means has the level of not less than the first prescribed value, and the representing signal extracted by said second extracting means does not have the level of not less than the second prescribed value.

10. A flame detection method comprising:

a first step to extract the representing signal of the first prescribed frequency range including the flicker frequency fc of the infrared ray energy of the flame and the signal of the second prescribed frequency range including no flicker frequency fc of the infrared ray energy of the flame, but including the frequency on the higher frequency side than that of said first prescribed frequency range from the output signal of the detection element to convert the infrared ray energy into the electric signal; and

a second step to judge whether or not a fire is generated based on a result of comparing two signals extracted in said first step when said extracted signal is larger than said second extracted signal by a prescribed value.

11. A flame detection method according to claim 10, wherein generation of a fire is judged when the representing signal of the first prescribed frequency range extracted in said first step has the level of not less than a fire prescribed value, and the representing signal of the second prescribed frequency range extracted in said first step does not have the level of not less than a second prescribed value in said second step.

12. A flame detection method according to claim 10, wherein generation of a fire is judged when the ratio of the representing signal of the first prescribed frequency range extracted in said first step to the representing signal of the second prescribed frequency range exceeds a predetermined value.

13. A flame detection method according to claim 10, wherein the frequency of the signal of sampling data of the output signal sampled with prescribed sampling frequency is analyzed, and then the representing signal is extracted using a digital filter, a Fast Fourier Transformation method or a maximum entropy method in said first step and said second step.

14. A flame detection method according to claim 10, wherein said first prescribed frequency range is set up to include no DC part of the output signal of said detection element.

15. A flame detection method according to claim 10, wherein said second prescribed frequency range includes at least multiple harmonic frequency of each frequency of said first prescribed frequency range.

16. A flame detection method according to one of claims 10 to 15, wherein said first prescribed frequency range is 0.5 Hz to 8.0 Hz, and said second prescribed frequency range is 8.5 Hz to 16.0 Hz.

17. A flame detection method according to one of claims 10 to 15, wherein said first prescribed frequency range is 0.25 Hz to 8.0 Hz, and said second prescribed frequency range is 8.25 Hz to 16.0 Hz.

18. A flame detection method comprising:

a first step to extract the representing signal of a first prescribed frequency range of 0.5 Hz to 8.0 Hz including no DC part of the output signal but including the flicker frequency fc of the infrared ray energy of the flame and the representing signal of a second prescribed frequency range of 8.5 Hz to 16.0 Hz including no flicker frequency fc of the infrared ray energy of the flame but including the frequency on the higher frequency side than that of said first prescribed frequency range from the output signal of a detection element to convert the infrared ray energy into the electric signal by the Fast Fourier Transformation method; and

a second step to judge that a fire is generated when the representing signal of a first prescribed frequency range extracted in said first step has the level of not less than the first prescribed value, and the representing signal of the second prescribed frequency range extracted in said first step does not have the level of not less than the prescribed value.

19. A flame detection method comprising:

a first step to extract the representing signal of a first prescribed frequency range including the flicker frequency fc of the infrared ray energy of the flame and the representing signal of a second prescribed frequency range including no flicker frequency fc of the infrared ray energy of the flame and including the frequency on the higher frequency side than that of said first prescribed frequency range from the output signal of a detection element to convert the infrared ray energy into the electric signal and

a second step to judge that a fire is generated when the representing signal of the second prescribed frequency range extracted is obtained, and said representing signal level is lower than the representing signal of the first prescribed frequency range.