Thermographic system to check and prevent fires in a vehicle

• US 6,476,722 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2000
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SAI Servizi Aerei Industriali SRL
• Original Assignee: SAI Servizi Aerei Industriali SRL
• Inventors: Bidone, Alessandro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SON M
• Application Number:
  US09/569,948
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 340/584, 340/600, 340/578, 340/449, 340/425.5, 340/438, 340/439, 340/870.16, 340/870.17
• US Class Current: 340/584
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/06 Electric actuation of the alarm, e.g. using a thermally-operated switch
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/12 Actuation by presence of radiation or particles, e.g. of infrared radiation or of ions

Abstract

The thermographic system to check and prevent fires in a vehicle including at least a plurality of sensors held up by an arch structure and apt to detect the temperature of as many points of the vehicle as the number of sensors and a logic control unit connected to the above mentioned sensors, generating at least an alarm signal if the temperature detected by at least one of the sensors exceeds a pre-established value, which changes (or can change) according to the point of the vehicle checked by the sensor that detected the anomalous temperature. if the thermographic system is placed near a fixed/obligatory way, further sensors fitted into the ground allow to keep under control even the lower part of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A thermographic system to check and prevent fires in a vehicle wherein said thermographic system comprises at least the following combination of parts:

a plurality of sensors held up by an arch structure mounted, over and above the vehicle, along the path of the vehicle and apt to detect the temperature of specific parts of the upper portion of the vehicle; and

a logic control unit connected to said sensors and apt to generate at least an alarm signal if the temperature detected by at least one of the sensors exceeds a preestablished value;

wherein said thermographic system is mounted at the entrance of a tunnel with the sensors placed in such a way to see the vehicles approaching to the tunnel at such a distance with respect to the entrance of the tunnel to allow the logic control unit to detect a dangerous situation in a vehicle and to generate at least an alarm signal to avoid the entrance into the tunnel of the vehicle.