A flame-out i.e. alarm method and system

Abstract

This application relates to the field of security monitoring technology, specifically to a method and system for alarming upon flame extinguishing. The method includes: collecting flame status information within a monitored area; determining whether the flame is extinguished based on the flame status information; if it is extinguished, accumulating the duration of flame extinguishing; and triggering an alarm operation and the linkage control operation of field equipment when the accumulated duration of extinguishing meets a preset trigger condition. This application mainly addresses the technical problems existing in current flame status monitoring technologies, such as high reliance on manual intervention, low flame identification accuracy, lack of a flame extinguishing duration accumulation mechanism, poor alarm strategy adaptability, delayed equipment linkage response, and insufficient reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of security monitoring technology, specifically to a method and system for alarming when a flame is extinguished. Background Technology

[0002] In industrial production and scientific experiments, many processes rely on continuous flame combustion to maintain normal operating conditions. Petrochemical oil depots require flame-assisted component detection equipment, chemical reactors need flame heating to maintain reaction temperatures, and laboratory flash point testers require flame verification of material ignition points. If a flame is accidentally extinguished, it can lead to safety hazards such as the leakage and accumulation of flammable media, a sudden drop in reaction system temperature causing loss of control, and the spread of toxic gases. If not dealt with promptly, these hazards can easily cause serious safety accidents such as explosions, fires, and personnel poisoning, resulting in huge losses to enterprises and individuals.

[0003] Currently, flame status monitoring mainly relies on manual duty mode. Staff need to continuously monitor the flame combustion, which not only consumes a lot of manpower but also poses significant human risks: long-term duty can easily lead to fatigue and negligence, resulting in a high rate of missed or misjudged flame extinguishing status; at the same time, there is a delay in personnel response, making it impossible to take timely protective measures such as shutting off valves and cutting off power in the early stages of flame extinguishing.

[0004] Although mature flame detection and independent alarm technologies exist in the market, there is a lack of integrated flame extinguishing monitoring and handling solutions. Existing technologies have significant shortcomings: First, data acquisition is limited to a single dimension, relying on only a single sensor. Infrared flame detectors are susceptible to strong light interference, leading to signal distortion; ultraviolet detectors are sensitive to non-flame ultraviolet light sources; and machine vision acquisition devices fail to extract features in dim or dusty environments, making it impossible to comprehensively and accurately capture the flame status. Second, there is a lack of precise time-accumulation mechanisms, only enabling instantaneous judgment of "presence or absence of flame," failing to distinguish between brief flame flickering and continuous extinguishing, easily leading to false alarms or delayed response. Third, alarm strategies are rigid, failing to design tiered alarms based on the risk level of the scenario; alarm intensity is insufficient in high-risk scenarios, while alarms are excessive in low-risk scenarios. Fourth, there is a lack of effective device linkage functions; even if flame extinguishing is detected, manual valve shut-off and power-off operations are still required, resulting in delayed response and failing to eliminate safety hazards at the source. Fifth, some solutions rely on remote servers to process data, leading to system failure and insufficient reliability when the network is interrupted. These shortcomings make it difficult for existing technologies to meet the core requirements of modern security monitoring, namely "automation, precision, intelligence, and high reliability." Developing a complete flame extinguishing alarm solution has become an urgent technical problem to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application mainly addresses the technical problems existing in flame status monitoring technology, such as high reliance on manual operation, low flame identification accuracy, lack of an extinguishing time accumulation mechanism, poor adaptability of alarm strategies, delayed equipment linkage response, and insufficient reliability.

[0006] An embodiment of this application provides a method for issuing an alarm upon flame extinguishing, the method comprising:

[0007] Collect flame status information within the monitored area;

[0008] Based on the flame state information, it is determined whether the flame is in an extinguished state. If it is determined to be in an extinguished state, the duration of the flame being extinguished is accumulated.

[0009] When the cumulative duration of the shutdown meets the preset triggering condition, an alarm operation is triggered, and the linkage control operation of the field equipment is also triggered.

[0010] In the aforementioned method for alarming upon flame extinguishing, as a preferred embodiment, the acquisition of flame status information within the monitored area includes:

[0011] Flame state information is collected by a flame detection subunit, which generates corresponding electrical signals by sensing the physical characteristics of the flame as flame state information.

[0012] Alternatively, flame status information can be collected through a machine vision perception subunit. The machine vision perception subunit acquires image data of the monitored area and analyzes the image data to extract flame-related features as flame status information.

[0013] Alternatively, flame state information can be collected simultaneously through a flame detection subunit and a machine vision perception subunit, and the electrical signal and flame-related features can be used together as flame state information.

[0014] In the aforementioned flame extinguishing alarm method, as a preferred embodiment, the flame detection subunit includes a flame detector, which can be selected as an infrared flame detector, an ultraviolet flame detector, or a composite spectral flame detector; the machine vision perception subunit includes an image acquisition device and an image processing component, the image acquisition device is a camera or an image sensor, and the image processing component analyzes the image data through a target detection algorithm, which includes any one of the YOLO algorithm, CNN algorithm, or Transformer algorithm.

[0015] In the aforementioned flame extinguishing alarm method, as a preferred embodiment, the step of determining whether the flame is extinguished based on the flame state information, and if it is determined to be extinguished, then accumulating the duration of flame extinguishing, includes:

[0016] The validity of the collected flame status information is verified, and interference signals or invalid image data are removed.

[0017] Determine the flame status based on the type of flame status information:

[0018] If the flame status information is an electrical signal, determine whether no electrical signal matching the flame characteristics has been detected continuously.

[0019] If the flame state information is a flame-related feature, determine whether image features matching the flame feature have not been extracted continuously.

[0020] If no image features matching the characteristics of a flame are extracted, the flame is determined to be extinguished, and the timing module is started to accumulate the duration of the extinguishing. If image features matching the characteristics of a flame are extracted, the flame is determined to be in a normal burning state, and the timing module is reset or not started.

[0021] In the above-mentioned method for alarming when the flame is extinguished, as a preferred embodiment, the criterion for judging that no electrical signal matching the flame characteristics is detected continuously is: no valid electrical signal is detected within a preset number of consecutive sampling periods.

[0022] The criterion for determining that no image features matching the characteristics of flames were extracted consecutively is that no flame-related features were extracted from image data for a consecutive preset number of frames.

[0023] The timing module is integrated into a signal processing device, which may include an embedded device or a general-purpose computer.

[0024] In the above-mentioned flame extinguishing alarm method, as a preferred embodiment, the step of triggering an alarm operation and triggering the linkage control operation of the field equipment when the accumulated extinguishing duration meets the preset triggering condition includes:

[0025] At least one alarm trigger threshold is preset to form the preset trigger condition;

[0026] The cumulative duration of the alarm being turned off is compared with the alarm trigger threshold. If any alarm trigger threshold is reached, the corresponding level of alarm operation is triggered.

[0027] If the cumulative duration of the shutdown reaches the preset linkage trigger threshold, the linkage control operation of the field equipment will be triggered, and the field equipment will be controlled to perform safety protection actions.

[0028] The linkage trigger threshold may be the same as or different from any alarm trigger threshold.

[0029] In the above-mentioned method of triggering an alarm upon flame extinguishing, as a preferred embodiment, the alarm trigger threshold is set according to the risk level of the monitored scene:

[0030] For high-risk scenarios, set at least two alarm trigger thresholds, corresponding to the first-level alarm and the second-level alarm respectively;

[0031] For low-risk scenarios, set at least one alarm trigger threshold, corresponding to a single level of alarm;

[0032] The field equipment includes a flammable medium supply valve, a heating equipment power supply, and an exhaust system. The safety protection actions include closing the valve, cutting off the power supply, and starting the exhaust system.

[0033] In the aforementioned flame extinguishing alarm method, as a preferred embodiment, after triggering the linkage control operation of the field equipment and controlling the field equipment to perform safety protection actions if the cumulative extinguishing duration reaches a preset linkage trigger threshold, the method further includes:

[0034] After an alarm operation is triggered, the execution status of the alarm operation is monitored; if the alarm operation is not detected to be executed normally, the alarm command is resent.

[0035] After triggering the linkage control operation of the field equipment, the system receives the action feedback signal from the field equipment; if no action feedback signal is received within the preset time, or if a feedback signal indicating action failure is received, the linkage control command is resent.

[0036] An embodiment of this application also provides a flame extinguishing alarm system for implementing the above-described flame extinguishing alarm method, the flame extinguishing alarm system comprising:

[0037] The acquisition unit is used to acquire flame status information within the monitoring area. The acquisition unit includes at least one flame information acquisition component, which is a flame detection subunit or a machine vision perception subunit.

[0038] The processing unit, electrically connected to the acquisition unit, is used to determine whether the flame is in an extinguished state based on the flame state information. If it is determined to be in an extinguished state, the duration of the flame being extinguished is accumulated. The processing unit includes a signal verification module, a state judgment module, and a timing module. The signal verification module verifies the validity of the flame state information, the state judgment module determines whether the flame is extinguished, and the timing module accumulates the duration of the flame being extinguished.

[0039] An alarm and linkage unit, electrically connected to the processing unit, is used to trigger an alarm operation and trigger the linkage control operation of the field equipment when the accumulated duration of the extinguishing meets a preset trigger condition. The alarm and linkage unit includes an alarm module and an optional linkage control module. The alarm module performs the alarm operation, and the linkage control module triggers the linkage of the field equipment.

[0040] In the aforementioned flameout alarm system, as a preferred embodiment, the flameout alarm system further includes:

[0041] Scene-adaptive acquisition components are used to select the corresponding acquisition components according to the monitoring scene; in high-risk scenes, flame detection subunits and image acquisition devices with explosion-proof functions are selected, while in low-risk scenes, conventional flame detection subunits and image acquisition devices are selected.

[0042] An edge processing component is connected to the scene-adaptive acquisition component. The edge processing component is used to complete flame status information verification, status judgment, and extinguishing time accumulation offline without relying on a remote server.

[0043] A multi-functional alarm linkage component is communicatively connected to the edge processing component, and the multi-functional alarm linkage component supports local audible and visual alarms and remote notification alarms.

[0044] The flame extinguishing alarm method and system described in the above embodiments collect flame status information from multiple sources and verify its validity. Combined with a continuous judgment mechanism, it accurately identifies the flame extinguishing state and accumulates the duration. Then, it implements graded alarms and equipment linkage control based on the risk level of the scenario. It also supports edge offline processing, which enables automated, accurate monitoring and rapid response of the flame extinguishing state. It effectively solves the problems of high labor costs, high false positive and false negative rates, and delayed response in the traditional manual monitoring mode. It provides reliable technical support for flame safety monitoring in scenarios such as industrial production and laboratory operations. It not only significantly reduces the probability of safety accidents, but also improves the intelligence and automation level of monitoring, and promotes technological progress in the field of safety protection. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Fig. 1 A flowchart of the flame extinguishing alarm method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0046] Fig. 2 This is a schematic diagram of the flame extinguishing alarm system provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Similar elements in different embodiments are referred to by related similar element reference numerals. In the following embodiments, many details are described to facilitate a better understanding of the present application. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some features may be omitted in different situations, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, certain operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid obscuring the core parts of the present application with excessive description. For those skilled in the art, detailed description of these related operations is not necessary; they can fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and general technical knowledge in the art.

[0048] Furthermore, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any suitable manner to form various embodiments. At the same time, the steps or actions in the method description can be rearranged or adjusted in a manner obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various orders in the specification and drawings are only for the clear description of a particular embodiment and do not imply a necessary order, unless otherwise stated that a particular order must be followed.

[0049] The serial numbers assigned to components in this document, such as "first" and "second," are used only to distinguish the described objects and have no sequential or technical meaning. The terms "connection" and "linkage" used in this application, unless otherwise specified, include both direct and indirect connections (linkages).

[0050] Please refer to Figs. 1-2 To address the technical problems of existing flame status monitoring technologies, such as high reliance on manual intervention, low flame identification accuracy, lack of a flame extinction duration accumulation mechanism, poor alarm strategy adaptability, delayed equipment linkage response, and insufficient reliability, this paper provides a method and system for alarming upon flame extinction. This system achieves automated and continuous monitoring of flame status, accurate identification of flame extinction status and accumulated duration, tiered alarms to adapt to different risk scenarios, and linkage with on-site equipment to execute safety protection actions. It also supports offline operation, thus improving the reliability and security of monitoring. Please refer to [reference needed]. Fig. 1 This application provides a method for issuing an alarm upon flame extinguishing, the method comprising the following steps:

[0051] Step S101: Collect flame status information within the monitoring area.

[0052] Depending on the risk level and environmental conditions of the monitored scenario, a single or combined acquisition mode can be selected to ensure the comprehensiveness and reliability of flame status information. If a flame detection subunit is selected, this unit generates a stable electrical signal by sensing the unique physical characteristics of the flame, serving as flame status information. The flame detection subunit can utilize infrared flame detectors, ultraviolet flame detectors, or composite spectral flame detectors. Infrared detectors are suitable for indoor scenes without strong light interference, ultraviolet detectors are suitable for outdoor open scenes, and composite spectral detectors are suitable for complex lighting or dusty environments, effectively reducing environmental interference. If a machine vision perception subunit is selected, this unit continuously acquires image data of the monitored area through image acquisition equipment. The image processing component then analyzes the image data to extract the flame's unique color, outline, dynamic changes, and other features as flame status information. The image acquisition equipment can be a high-definition camera or an industrial image sensor, with a frame rate set to 10-20 frames per second to balance real-time performance and computational power consumption. The image processing component employs target detection algorithms for feature extraction, offering options for YOLO, CNN, or Transformer algorithms. YOLO offers fast detection speeds, making it suitable for scenarios with high real-time requirements; CNN provides high feature extraction accuracy, making it suitable for scenarios with stringent accuracy requirements; and Transformer is well-suited for flame recognition in complex backgrounds. Alternatively, a combined acquisition mode can be selected, simultaneously acquiring information through both the flame detection subunit and the machine vision perception subunit. The generated electrical signals and extracted flame features are combined to form flame state information. This multi-source data complementarity enhances recognition accuracy, meeting the stringent requirements of high-risk scenarios.

[0053] Step S102: Determine whether the flame is in an extinguished state based on the flame state information. If it is determined to be in an extinguished state, the duration of the flame being extinguished is accumulated.

[0054] First, the acquired flame status information is validated to remove interference signals or invalid data. For electrical signals, a filtering algorithm is used to filter out instantaneous pulse signals exceeding the normal amplitude range. For image data, blurry, obstructed, or abnormally lit image frames are removed through sharpness assessment and light intensity detection to ensure the accuracy of subsequent judgments. The corresponding judgment logic is applied based on the type of flame status information. If it is an electrical signal, it is determined whether no valid electrical signal matching flame characteristics has been detected within a preset number of sampling periods. The sampling period can be set to 100ms-500ms, and the preset number of sampling periods is 3-5 to avoid misjudgment due to single signal loss. If it is a flame-related feature, it is determined whether no image features matching flame characteristics have been extracted from image data within a preset number of frames. The preset number of frames is 5-10 frames to adapt to the frame rate characteristics of the image acquisition device. If the above judgment conditions are met, the flame is determined to be in an extinguished state, and the timing module integrated in the signal processing device is activated to accumulate the duration of extinguishment. If an electrical signal matching flame characteristics is detected or flame-related features are extracted, and the flame is determined to be in a normal combustion state, the timing module is immediately reset to zero or remains inactive to ensure the accuracy of the accumulated time. Signal processing equipment includes embedded devices or general-purpose computers.

[0055] Step S103: When the cumulative duration of the shutdown meets the preset triggering condition, an alarm operation is triggered, and the linkage control operation of the field equipment is also triggered.

[0056] First, preset at least one alarm trigger threshold based on the risk level of the monitored scenario to form precise preset trigger conditions. For high-risk scenarios, set at least two alarm trigger thresholds, corresponding to the first-level alarm and the second-level alarm respectively. For example, the first-level alarm threshold could be set to 3 seconds, and the second-level alarm threshold to 10 seconds. For low-risk scenarios, set at least one alarm trigger threshold, corresponding to a single-level alarm, with a threshold that can be set to 15 seconds. Compare the accumulated duration of alarm shutdown with the alarm trigger thresholds in real time. If either alarm trigger threshold is reached, the corresponding level of alarm operation is triggered. The first-level alarm uses a local audible and visual alarm, emitting a conspicuous warning signal to remind on-site personnel to take immediate action. The second-level alarm, in addition to the local audible and visual alarm, overlays a remote notification alarm, pushing alarm information to management personnel via SMS, voice calls, etc., to ensure multi-dimensional reminders. Simultaneously, preset a linkage trigger threshold, which can be the same as or different from any alarm trigger threshold. If the accumulated duration of alarm shutdown reaches the linkage trigger threshold, the linkage control operation of the on-site equipment is triggered, controlling the on-site equipment to perform safety protection actions. The on-site equipment includes flammable medium supply valves, heating equipment power supplies, and ventilation equipment. Corresponding safety measures include closing the flammable medium supply valves to prevent leaks, cutting off the heating equipment power supply to prevent dry burning, and activating the ventilation equipment to accelerate the diffusion of harmful gases, eliminating safety hazards at the source. To ensure effective execution of alarm and control actions, the execution status of the alarm operation is continuously monitored after it is triggered. If the alarm operation is not detected to be executed normally, the alarm command is resent after a 1-second interval, with a maximum of 3 retries. After triggering the on-site equipment linkage control operation, the action feedback signal from the on-site equipment is received in real time. If no action feedback signal is received within a preset time, or if a feedback signal indicating action failure is received, the linkage control command is resent after a 0.5-second interval, with a maximum of 2 retries, ensuring that safety protection measures are implemented. The preset time range is 2-5 seconds.

[0057] In the aforementioned method for alarming upon flame extinguishing, as a preferred embodiment, the acquisition of flame status information within the monitored area includes: acquiring flame status information through a flame detection subunit, wherein the flame detection subunit generates a corresponding electrical signal by sensing the physical characteristics of the flame, which serves as flame status information; or, acquiring flame status information through a machine vision perception subunit, wherein the machine vision perception subunit acquires image data of the monitored area and analyzes the image data to extract flame-related features, which serve as flame status information; or, simultaneously acquiring flame status information through both the flame detection subunit and the machine vision perception subunit, and using the electrical signal and flame-related features together as flame status information.

[0058] In the aforementioned flame extinguishing alarm method, as a preferred embodiment, the flame detection subunit includes a flame detector, which can be selected as an infrared flame detector, an ultraviolet flame detector, or a composite spectral flame detector; the machine vision perception subunit includes an image acquisition device and an image processing component, the image acquisition device is a camera or an image sensor, and the image processing component analyzes the image data through a target detection algorithm, which includes any one of the YOLO algorithm, CNN algorithm, or Transformer algorithm.

[0059] In the aforementioned flame extinguishing alarm method, as a preferred embodiment, the step of determining whether the flame is extinguished based on the flame state information, and accumulating the duration of flame extinguishing if it is determined to be extinguished, includes the following steps: validating the collected flame state information and removing interference signals or invalid image data; determining the flame state according to the type of flame state information: if the flame state information is an electrical signal, determining whether no electrical signal matching the flame characteristics has been continuously detected. If no electrical signal matching the flame characteristics has been continuously detected, the timing module is activated to accumulate the flame extinguishing duration, and the accumulated duration is compared in real time with the preset alarm trigger threshold and linkage trigger threshold. When the corresponding threshold is reached, alarm operation and field equipment linkage control operation are triggered respectively; if an electrical signal matching the flame characteristics has been detected, the flame is determined to be burning normally, the timing module is reset or not activated, and the electrical signal status is continuously monitored.

[0060] If the flame status information is a flame-related feature, determine whether no image features matching the flame characteristics have been extracted continuously; if no image features matching the flame characteristics have been extracted, determine that the flame is in an extinguished state and start the timing module to accumulate the duration of the extinguishing; if image features matching the flame characteristics have been extracted, determine that the flame is in a normal burning state, and the timing module is reset or not started.

[0061] In the aforementioned flame extinguishing alarm method, as a preferred embodiment, the criterion for continuously failing to detect electrical signals matching flame characteristics is: no valid electrical signals are detected within a preset number of consecutive sampling periods. The criterion for continuously failing to extract image features matching flame characteristics is: no flame-related features are extracted from image data for a preset number of consecutive frames. The timing module is integrated into a signal processing device, which may include an embedded device or a general-purpose computer.

[0062] In the aforementioned flame extinguishing alarm method, as a preferred embodiment, the step of triggering an alarm operation and triggering the linkage control operation of the field equipment when the accumulated extinguishing duration meets a preset triggering condition includes: presetting at least one alarm triggering threshold to form the preset triggering condition; comparing the accumulated extinguishing duration with the alarm triggering threshold, and if either alarm triggering threshold is reached, triggering an alarm operation of the corresponding level; if the accumulated extinguishing duration reaches a preset linkage triggering threshold, triggering the linkage control operation of the field equipment to control the field equipment to perform safety protection actions; wherein, the linkage triggering threshold may be the same as or different from any alarm triggering threshold.

[0063] In the above-mentioned method of alarming upon flame extinguishing, as a preferred embodiment, the alarm trigger threshold is set according to the risk level of the monitored scenario: for high-risk scenarios, at least two alarm trigger thresholds are set, corresponding to the first-level alarm and the second-level alarm respectively; for low-risk scenarios, at least one alarm trigger threshold is set, corresponding to a single-level alarm; the field equipment includes a combustible medium supply valve, a heating equipment power supply, and an exhaust ventilation system, and the safety protection actions include closing the valve, cutting off the power supply, and starting the exhaust ventilation.

[0064] In some embodiments, low-risk scenarios refer to situations where, after the flame is extinguished, it may only cause partial operational interruption and minor material loss, without triggering serious safety accidents such as fires, explosions, or toxic gas leaks, and the impact is limited to a single piece of equipment or a small, independent space. Typical scenarios include alcohol lamp heating experiments in ordinary laboratories and routine chemical synthesis experiments using beakers, where no flammable or toxic media are involved; small household gas stoves, such as small-powered stoves in home kitchens or small restaurant kitchens, where ventilation is good and there is no risk of large-scale gas accumulation; flame drying processes for non-flammable and non-explosive materials, such as the drying of ordinary Chinese medicinal materials and ceramic blanks, where the materials themselves do not pose a risk of combustion or explosion; and small flame devices used in teaching experiments, such as heating operations in physics experiments and flame reactions in chemical demonstrations, where the operating environment is controllable and does not involve high-risk media.

[0065] In some embodiments, high-risk scenarios refer to situations where, after a flame is extinguished, flammable media can easily leak and accumulate, the reaction system can become uncontrollable, or toxic gases can spread, leading to serious safety accidents such as explosions, fires, and poisoning. These scenarios can affect large areas such as industrial sites and storage areas, potentially causing significant property damage and casualties. Typical scenarios include oil depot testing equipment, crude oil refining units, and flammable gas recovery systems in the petrochemical industry, which involve flammable and explosive media such as gasoline and natural gas; flammable solvent synthesis reactors and high-risk chemical distillation units in the chemical industry, which involve high-risk media such as methanol and hydrogen; liquefied gas storage tank areas and natural gas transmission station flame monitoring points in flammable gas storage and transportation scenarios, where leaks can easily lead to explosions upon contact with an ignition source; flash point testers and flammable liquid ignition point testing devices in high-risk laboratories, where the operating space is relatively enclosed and involves flammable, explosive, or toxic media; and industrial heating furnace scenarios, such as high-temperature heating furnaces in the metallurgical industry and tubular heating furnaces in the chemical industry, where extinguishing the flame can easily lead to fuel gas leaks or furnace damage, potentially triggering a chain reaction of accidents.

[0066] In the aforementioned method for alarming upon flame extinguishing, as a preferred embodiment, after triggering the linkage control operation of the field equipment and controlling the field equipment to perform safety protection actions if the cumulative extinguishing duration reaches a preset linkage trigger threshold, the method further includes: monitoring the execution status of the alarm operation after triggering the alarm operation; if the alarm operation is not detected to be executed normally, resending the alarm command; receiving the action feedback signal of the field equipment after triggering the linkage control operation of the field equipment; if no action feedback signal is received within a preset time, or if a feedback signal indicating action failure is received, resending the linkage control command.

[0067] The relationship between the first-level alarm and the threshold in high-risk scenarios is set as follows: Based on the critical time inherent in the scenario's risk nature, and combined with industry standards for media hazard levels, the first-level alarm threshold is set to one-third of this critical time. The benchmark threshold is also dynamically calibrated with reference to objective constraints such as the type of flammable medium, environmental ventilation conditions, and equipment airtightness. The stronger the flammability and explosiveness of the medium, the worse the ventilation, and the higher the equipment airtightness, the shorter the threshold, but it must not be lower than the minimum safe duration required by industry standards. Furthermore, a dynamic adaptation factor is incorporated: when the flammable medium concentration is detected to be 50% higher than the safe threshold, the threshold automatically shortens by 30%; when the ambient wind speed is greater than 1 m / s, the threshold lengthens by 20%. This not only aligns with the risk evolution pattern but also adapts to the real-time on-site conditions, ensuring timely triggering of warnings at the initial stage of risk emergence.

[0068] The relationship between the second-level alarm and the threshold in high-risk scenarios is set as follows: based on the shortest time for equipment linkage action in the objective constraints, and combined with the risk evolution characteristics in the nature of scenario risks, the second-level alarm threshold is set to two to three times the first-level alarm threshold, and not less than twice the shortest time for equipment linkage action, forming a step-by-step progressive relationship that conforms to industry safety standards. At the same time, a risk evolution rate correction mechanism in the dynamic adaptation factor is introduced. After the first-level alarm is triggered, if the concentration of flammable medium increases by ≥5% per second, or the equipment linkage command fails to be successfully executed, the second-level alarm threshold is automatically compressed by 50%; if personnel are detected to have arrived at the alarm area through personnel positioning, the threshold is extended by 30%, balancing the emergency needs of rapid risk escalation and the objective time window for manual handling.

[0069] The relationship between single-level alarms and thresholds in low-risk scenarios is set as follows: Based on the acceptable duration of operational interruption and the scope of minor risk impact inherent in the scenario's risk nature, combined with industry standards for equipment type as an objective constraint, the basic threshold for laboratory scenarios is set at 15 seconds, and for residential stove scenarios, it is set at 20 seconds. Dynamic adaptation factors are also incorporated: during unattended periods for laboratory equipment and peak cooking times for residential stoves, the threshold is shortened to 12 seconds; during non-cooking periods for residential stoves, it is extended to 25 seconds. The system learns from historical handling records and other dynamic data. If the user completes the operation within the threshold multiple times, the threshold is automatically fine-tuned and extended by 3-5 seconds; if there are multiple instances of unattended operation, the threshold is shortened by 2-3 seconds. This approach aligns with both the characteristics of the scenario and user behavior, balancing the effectiveness of alerts with potential disruption.

[0070] Please refer to Fig. 2 The embodiments of this application also provide a flame extinguishing alarm system for implementing the above-described flame extinguishing alarm method, the flame extinguishing alarm system comprising:

[0071] The acquisition unit is used to acquire flame status information within the monitoring area. The acquisition unit includes at least one flame information acquisition component, which is a flame detection subunit or a machine vision perception subunit.

[0072] The processing unit, electrically connected to the acquisition unit, is used to determine whether the flame is in an extinguished state based on the flame state information. If it is determined to be in an extinguished state, the duration of the flame being extinguished is accumulated. The processing unit includes a signal verification module, a state judgment module, and a timing module. The signal verification module verifies the validity of the flame state information, the state judgment module determines whether the flame is extinguished, and the timing module accumulates the duration of the flame being extinguished.

[0073] An alarm and linkage unit, electrically connected to the processing unit, is used to trigger an alarm operation and trigger the linkage control operation of the field equipment when the accumulated duration of the extinguishing meets a preset trigger condition. The alarm and linkage unit includes an alarm module and an optional linkage control module. The alarm module performs the alarm operation, and the linkage control module triggers the linkage of the field equipment.

[0074] In the aforementioned flameout alarm system, as a preferred embodiment, the flameout alarm system further includes:

[0075] Scene-adaptive acquisition components are used to select the corresponding acquisition components according to the monitoring scene; in high-risk scenes, flame detection subunits and image acquisition devices with explosion-proof functions are selected, while in low-risk scenes, conventional flame detection subunits and image acquisition devices are selected.

[0076] An edge processing component is connected to the scene-adaptive acquisition component. The edge processing component is used to complete flame status information verification, status judgment, and extinguishing time accumulation offline without relying on a remote server.

[0077] A multi-functional alarm linkage component is communicatively connected to the edge processing component, and the multi-functional alarm linkage component supports local audible and visual alarms and remote notification alarms.

[0078] As an exemplary embodiment of this application, an embodiment is provided. The flame extinguishing alarm system of this embodiment consists of a flame detection unit, a flame combustion status signal processing unit, and a local audible and visual alarm module. The flame detection unit is a flame combustion status signal acquisition unit, and its core hardware includes a flame detector and scheduling software. The hardware consists of a power supply submodule, a flame detector interface circuit, and an opto-isolation circuit. The signal processing unit uses an embedded device, and the local audible and visual alarm module is connected to the signal processing unit through an interface to realize the on-site warning function after the flame is extinguished. The specific circuit design of this embodiment is as follows:

[0079] 1. Power supply submodule

[0080] The power supply submodule uses a 12V voltage regulator circuit. The input is AC220V mains power, which is converted to 15V AC voltage by an EI35 transformer T1 with a power rating of 5VA. The AC voltage is rectified by a bridge rectifier circuit composed of four 1N4001 diodes, then filtered sequentially by a 2200μF / 25V capacitor C3 and a 0.1μF capacitor C4. Finally, it outputs a stable 12V DC voltage through an LM1117-12 voltage regulator chip. A 10μF / 16V capacitor C5 is connected in parallel at the output of the voltage regulator chip for further filtering. The peak voltage of the 15V AC output from the transformer after rectification is approximately 21.2V. After filtering by C3, the ripple is ≤500mV, meeting the input voltage range requirements of the LM1117. Capacitor C3 was selected based on a load current of 500mA, a half-wave rectification time of 10ms, and an allowable ripple of 500mV; a 2200μF capacitor was chosen to provide a margin. The system is equipped with a 1A slow-blow fuse F1, model number 0451001.MRL, with a fusing time of ≥100ms, which can withstand the starting surge current.

[0081] 2. Flame detector interface circuit

[0082] A JTY-GD-802 flame detector was selected, with an operating voltage of DC 9-15V, a static current ≤30mA, and an alarm output current ≤10mA. It employs an NPN open-collector output characteristic, with the output terminal conducting to GND when a flame is present and floating when no flame is present. In the interface circuit, a 12V power supply is connected to the detector's output pin through a 4.7kΩ resistor R3, providing bias current when the detector is off, ensuring a 12V high level at the output terminal, with a bias current of approximately 2.55mA. The detector's output pin is also connected to pin 1 of the optocoupler U2 through a 1kΩ resistor R1. R1 was selected based on the forward conduction voltage of the optocoupler PC817 (1.2V) and the required forward current of 10-15mA to ensure it meets the conduction requirements.

[0083] 3. Opto-isolation circuit

[0084] The optocoupler selected is the PC817, with a current transfer ratio of 50%-200%, an isolation voltage of 5000Vrms, and a reverse withstand voltage of 6V. In the output circuit, a 5V power supply is connected to pin 3 of optocoupler U2 through a 10kΩ resistor R2. Pin 4 of U2 is grounded, and pin 3 serves as the signal output terminal connected to the signal processing unit. When the input forward current is 10mA and the current transfer ratio is 100%, the output current is 10mA, and the output voltage is approximately 0.2V (low level). When the optocoupler is off, the output is pulled up to a 5V high level through R2, with a high-level drive capability of 500μA, meeting the TTL / CMOS interface requirements. The circuit has a propagation delay ≤10μs and has passed a 1kV / 50ns burst interference test, effectively cutting off common-mode interference paths and ensuring signal stability.

[0085] The workflow of this embodiment is as follows:

[0086] The flame detector collects real-time flame status signals within the monitored area. When a flame is present, the output terminal is activated, and the optocoupler is turned on via the interface circuit, outputting a low-level signal to the signal processing unit. When there is no flame, the detector output terminal is left floating, the optocoupler is turned off, and a high-level signal is output. The signal processing unit analyzes the received signals using scheduling software. When a high-level signal is detected within a preset number of consecutive sampling periods, it is determined that the flame has extinguished, and a timing module is started to accumulate the extinguishing time. When the accumulated time reaches a preset alarm trigger threshold, the signal processing unit calls the local audible and visual alarm module interface to trigger an audible and visual alarm, sending a warning signal to on-site personnel.

[0087] As another exemplary implementation of this application, another embodiment is provided. The flame extinguishing alarm system of this embodiment consists of a machine vision perception unit, a flame combustion status signal processing unit, and an SMS notification alarm module based on Tencent Cloud SMS service. The machine vision perception unit, as the flame combustion status signal acquisition unit, includes a camera and a general-purpose computer with a graphics card as its core hardware. The software includes a target detection algorithm and scheduling software. The target detection algorithm can be YOLO, CNN, or Transformer. The signal processing unit is integrated into the general-purpose computer. The SMS notification alarm module communicates with the signal processing unit via a network to achieve remote alarm functionality. The specific circuit design of this embodiment is as follows:

[0088] 1. USB camera interface circuit

[0089] The camera uses a USB 3.0 interface. In the interface circuit, the VBUS pin of the camera's USB connector is connected to a +5V power supply, and a 2A resettable fuse F2 and an SMBJ5.0A transient voltage suppressor diode TVS2 are connected in series. The fuse model is SMD2920-200. TVS2 is grounded to achieve overvoltage protection. The D+ and D- pins of the USB connector are connected to the corresponding pins on the motherboard through 22Ω resistors R4 and R5, respectively. 100pF capacitors C6 and C7 are connected in parallel across the resistors to ground for filtering. Resistors R4 and R5 are connected in series with the PCB trace impedance, and the total impedance matches the 90Ω characteristic impedance of the USB 3.0 differential line to eliminate signal reflection. The TVS2 response time is ≤1ns, and the clamping voltage is ≤8V during 8kV contact discharge, which meets the ESD protection requirements of the USB 3.0 specification.

[0090] 2. Graphics card and motherboard interface circuit

[0091] The general-purpose computer is equipped with a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot for connecting the graphics card. The slot contains 16 pairs of differential lines, each with an impedance of 100Ω ± 15%. The power pins provide +12V and +3.3V voltages, with the +12V pin supporting 3A current and a total power of ≥75W. The graphics card receives auxiliary power through a 6-pin or 8-pin connector, with the 12V voltage supporting 7.5A current. An RTX 3050 graphics card is selected, with a typical power consumption of 130W. The PCIe slot provides 75W of power, and the 8-pin auxiliary power supply provides 55W, meeting the graphics card's operating requirements. The motherboard's 24-pin ATX connector outputs +12V voltage with a ripple of ≤50mV and a load regulation of ±2%, providing stable power to the graphics card. The GPU core power supply circuit uses a 6-phase Buck circuit, with each phase equipped with four 22μF 16VX7R ceramic capacitors, effectively suppressing high-frequency switching noise.

[0092] The workflow of this embodiment is as follows:

[0093] The camera acquires real-time image data of the monitored area via a USB 3.0 interface. The image data is transmitted to a general-purpose computer with a graphics card via the interface circuit at a transmission rate of 5Gbps. 1080P 30fps image data only occupies 2.5% of the bandwidth, leaving ample margin. The general-purpose computer uses scheduling software to call a target detection algorithm to analyze the image data and extract flame-related features. The image data is then transmitted to the graphics card GPU via the USB controller, southbridge, and PCIe root junction, with a transmission latency of ≤20ms. The signal processing unit uses an algorithm to determine whether flame features are extracted from a preset number of consecutive frames. If no features are extracted, the flame is considered extinguished, and a timing module is started to accumulate the duration. When the accumulated duration reaches the alarm trigger threshold, the signal processing unit calls the Tencent Cloud SMS service interface via the network to trigger the SMS notification alarm module, sending an alarm SMS to a preset staff member's mobile phone number, informing them of the flame extinguishment status and related information.

[0094] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the functions of the various methods in the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware or by computer programs. When all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are implemented by computer programs, the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may include: read-only memory, random access memory, disk, optical disk, hard disk, etc., and the program is executed by a computer to achieve the above functions. For example, the program can be stored in the memory of a device, and when the program in the memory is executed by the processor, all or part of the above functions can be achieved. In addition, when all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are implemented by computer programs, the program can also be stored in a server, another computer, disk, optical disk, flash drive, or external hard drive, etc., and can be downloaded or copied to the memory of a local device, or the system of the local device can be updated. When the program in the memory is executed by the processor, all or part of the functions in the above embodiments can be achieved.

[0095] The above examples illustrate this application only to aid understanding and are not intended to limit its scope. Those skilled in the art to which this application pertains can make various simple deductions, modifications, or substitutions based on the ideas presented.

Claims

1. A method for issuing an alarm upon flame extinguishing, characterized in that, The method includes: Collect flame status information within the monitored area; Based on the flame state information, it is determined whether the flame is in an extinguished state. If it is determined to be in an extinguished state, the duration of the flame being extinguished is accumulated. When the cumulative duration of the shutdown meets the preset triggering condition, an alarm operation is triggered, and the linkage control operation of the field equipment is also triggered.

2. The method for alarming upon flame extinguishing as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The flame status information collected within the monitoring area includes: Flame state information is collected by a flame detection subunit, which generates corresponding electrical signals by sensing the physical characteristics of the flame as flame state information. Alternatively, flame status information can be collected through a machine vision perception subunit. The machine vision perception subunit acquires image data of the monitored area and analyzes the image data to extract flame-related features as flame status information. Alternatively, flame state information can be collected simultaneously through a flame detection subunit and a machine vision perception subunit, and the electrical signal and flame-related features can be used together as flame state information.

3. The method for alarming upon flame extinguishing as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The flame detection subunit includes a flame detector, which can be selected as an infrared flame detector, an ultraviolet flame detector, or a composite spectral flame detector; the machine vision perception subunit includes an image acquisition device and an image processing component, the image acquisition device is a camera or an image sensor, and the image processing component analyzes the image data through a target detection algorithm, which includes any one of the YOLO algorithm, CNN algorithm, or Transformer algorithm.

4. The method for alarming upon flame extinguishing as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining whether the flame is extinguished based on the flame state information, and if it is determined to be extinguished, then accumulating the duration of the flame being extinguished, includes: The validity of the collected flame status information is verified, and interference signals or invalid image data are removed. Determine the flame status based on the type of flame status information: If the flame status information is an electrical signal, determine whether no electrical signal matching the flame characteristics has been detected continuously. If the flame state information is a flame-related feature, determine whether image features matching the flame feature have not been extracted continuously. If no image features matching the characteristics of a flame are extracted, the flame is determined to be extinguished, and the timing module is started to accumulate the duration of the extinguishing. If image features matching the characteristics of a flame are extracted, the flame is determined to be in a normal burning state, and the timing module is reset or not started.

5. The method for alarming upon flame extinguishing as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The criterion for determining that no electrical signal matching the flame characteristics is detected continuously is: no valid electrical signal is detected within a preset number of consecutive sampling periods; The criterion for determining that no image features matching the characteristics of flames were extracted consecutively is that no flame-related features were extracted from image data for a consecutive preset number of frames. The timing module is integrated into a signal processing device, which may include an embedded device or a general-purpose computer.

6. The method for alarming upon flame extinguishing as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the accumulated duration of the shutdown meets a preset trigger condition, an alarm operation is triggered, and the linkage control operation of the field equipment is also triggered, including: At least one alarm trigger threshold is preset to form the preset trigger condition; The cumulative duration of the alarm being turned off is compared with the alarm trigger threshold. If any alarm trigger threshold is reached, the corresponding level of alarm operation is triggered. If the cumulative duration of the shutdown reaches the preset linkage trigger threshold, the linkage control operation of the field equipment will be triggered, and the field equipment will be controlled to perform safety protection actions. The linkage trigger threshold may be the same as or different from any alarm trigger threshold.

7. The flame extinguishing alarm method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The alarm trigger threshold is set according to the risk level of the monitored scenario: For high-risk scenarios, set at least two alarm trigger thresholds, corresponding to the first-level alarm and the second-level alarm respectively; For low-risk scenarios, set at least one alarm trigger threshold, corresponding to a single level of alarm; The field equipment includes a flammable medium supply valve, a heating equipment power supply, and an exhaust system. The safety protection actions include closing the valve, cutting off the power supply, and starting the exhaust system.

8. The flame extinguishing alarm method according to claim 6, characterized in that, If the cumulative duration of the shutdown reaches a preset linkage trigger threshold, the linkage control operation of the field equipment is triggered, and after controlling the field equipment to perform safety protection actions, the following steps are also included: After an alarm operation is triggered, the execution status of the alarm operation is monitored; if the alarm operation is not detected to be executed normally, the alarm command is resent. After triggering the linkage control operation of the field equipment, the system receives the action feedback signal from the field equipment; if no action feedback signal is received within the preset time, or if a feedback signal indicating action failure is received, the linkage control command is resent.

9. A flame extinguishing alarm system, characterized in that, For implementing the flame extinguishing alarm method according to any one of claims 1-8, the flame extinguishing alarm system comprises: The acquisition unit is used to acquire flame status information within the monitoring area. The acquisition unit includes at least one flame information acquisition component, which is a flame detection subunit or a machine vision perception subunit. The processing unit, electrically connected to the acquisition unit, is used to determine whether the flame is in an extinguished state based on the flame state information. If it is determined to be in an extinguished state, the duration of the flame being extinguished is accumulated. The processing unit includes a signal verification module, a state judgment module, and a timing module. The signal verification module verifies the validity of the flame state information, the state judgment module determines whether the flame is extinguished, and the timing module accumulates the duration of the flame being extinguished. An alarm and linkage unit, electrically connected to the processing unit, is used to trigger an alarm operation and trigger the linkage control operation of the field equipment when the accumulated duration of the extinguishing meets a preset trigger condition. The alarm and linkage unit includes an alarm module and an optional linkage control module. The alarm module performs the alarm operation, and the linkage control module triggers the linkage of the field equipment.

10. The flame extinguishing alarm system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The flame extinguishing alarm system also includes: Scene-adaptive acquisition components are used to select the corresponding acquisition components according to the monitoring scene; in high-risk scenes, flame detection subunits and image acquisition devices with explosion-proof functions are selected, while in low-risk scenes, conventional flame detection subunits and image acquisition devices are selected. An edge processing component is connected to the scene-adaptive acquisition component. The edge processing component is used to complete flame status information verification, status judgment, and extinguishing time accumulation offline without relying on a remote server. A multi-functional alarm linkage component is communicatively connected to the edge processing component, and the multi-functional alarm linkage component supports local audible and visual alarms and remote notification alarms.

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