Fire alarm

• US 6,788,197 B1
• Filed: 11/13/2000
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IP Edge LLC
• Original Assignee: Siemens Building Technologies AG (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Thuillard, Marc, Suter, Erwin
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US09/711,818
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 340/506, 340/517, 340/521, 340/522, 340/628, 340/630, 340/632, 340/584, 340/587, 340/600
• US Class Current: 340/522
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/107 for detecting light-scattering due to smoke
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/113 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/186 Fuzzy logic; neural networks

Abstract

A fire alarm having an electronic evaluator, an optical module, a temperature sensor, and at least one combustion gas sensor, where the electronic evaluator diagnoses one of a plurality of fire types and selects an application-specific algorithm based on the diagnosed fire type. The electronic evaluator uses the signals from the sensors to diagnose at least one of a plurality of types of fire. The fire alarm may have at least one polarization filter which may be an active polarizer with electrically adjustable polarization plane.

Claims

1. A fire alarm comprising:

an electronic evaluator;

an optical module electrically coupled to said electronic evaluator;

a temperature sensor operatively coupled to said electronic evaluator; and

at least one combustion gas sensor electrically coupled to said electronic evaluator, the electronic evaluator diagnosing one of a plurality of fire types selected from the group consisting of TF1, TF2, TF3, TF4, TF5, and TF6 and selecting an application-specific algorithm based upon said diagnosed fire type for processing of the signals of the optical module and the said sensors.

2. The fire alarm of claim 1, wherein said electronic evaluator is responsive to said optical module, said temperature sensor and said at least one combustion gas sensor to perform said diagnosis of at least one of a plurality of fire types.

3. The fire alarm of claim 2, wherein said electronic evaluator determines a smoke concentration level from said optical module signal, a gradient of the smoke gas from said at least one combustion gas sensor signal, a temperature gradient from said temperature sensor signal, the electronic evaluator determines a parameter generated from the temperature gradient and the gradient of the smoke gas and links the results together to diagnose at least one of a plurality of types of fire.

4. The fire alarm of claim 3, wherein the parameter is generated by the quotient of the temperature gradient and the smoke gas gradient.

5. The fire alarm of claim 1, wherein said at least one combustion gas sensor includes a carbon monoxide sensor.

6. The fire alarm of claim 2, wherein said optical module further comprises a light source, a measuring chamber and an optical receiver.

7. The fire alarm of claim 2, wherein said light source of said optical module emits radiation in the wavelength range of visible light.

8. The fire alarm of claim 7, wherein the wavelength of the radiation is in the range of blue or red light and is 460 nm and 660 nm respectively.

9. The fire alarm of claim 7, further comprising at least one polarization filter interposed between the light source and the optical receiver.

10. The fire alarm of claim 9, wherein said at least one of the polarization filters is an active polarizer operationally coupled to the electronic evaluator and having an electronically adjustable polarization plane.

11. The fire alarm of claim 10, wherein the electronic evaluator weighs data received from said optical receiver with said active polarizer adjusted to at least two different polarization planes.

12. The fire alarm of claim 11, wherein said active polarizer is a liquid crystal device.

13. The fire alarm of claim 12, wherein a degree of polarization of the radiation of said light source that is scattered in said measuring chamber is determined during measurements of smoke concentrations.

14. The fire alarm of claim 2, wherein said electronic evaluator further comprises a fuzzy controller.