Fire Detection System Using Segmented Optical Concentration Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fire detection systems struggle to accurately identify fires in environments with large environmental changes, such as road tunnels, where average gas or smoke concentrations measured by optical signals can mask local high concentrations, leading to erroneous identification.
Innovation Solution
A fire detection system that includes a transmitter and receiver configured to send and detect optical signals, with a signal processing unit calculating gas and smoke concentrations in the light propagation section and a sensor measuring local concentrations, allowing for comparison and determination of a fire based on differences and changes exceeding thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If optical signals are propagated over long distances to monitor wide areas, then the monitoring coverage is improved, but the measurement precision of gas and smoke concentrations deteriorates due to averaging effects that mask local high concentrations
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the monitoring area into multiple measurement sections by placing reflection units at different positions. Each section's gas and smoke concentrations are measured separately, allowing local high concentrations to be detected without being averaged out. The determination unit then integrates information from multiple sections to identify fire locations accurately.
Solution Approach 2:
The system measures gas and smoke concentrations locally in each measurement section rather than providing a single averaged value for the entire area. This allows the detection of local anomalies such as high concentration zones that indicate fire occurrence, while still maintaining wide monitoring coverage through multiple sections.
2Device complexity
If only average gas or smoke concentrations are measured in the light propagation section, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of fire detection deteriorates due to inability to distinguish local high concentrations from environmental variations
Solution Approach 1:
The determination unit divides the monitoring area into multiple measurement sections and processes concentration data from each section separately. This segmentation allows the system to identify local high concentration zones that indicate fire, improving detection reliability without requiring overly complex equipment in each individual section.
Solution Approach 2:
The system measures concentrations in multiple measurement sections, which is more than a single point measurement but less than continuous point-by-point scanning. This partial multiplication of measurement locations provides sufficient reliability improvement while keeping device complexity manageable.
3Device complexity
If environmental changes are not compensated for, then the device complexity is reduced, but false alarms increase due to inability to distinguish fire-induced changes from environmental variations
Solution Approach 1:
The determination unit analyzes concentration changes in multiple measurement sections and identifies patterns that distinguish fire-induced changes from environmental variations. By comparing spatial and temporal patterns across sections, the system can filter out false alarms caused by uniform environmental changes while detecting true fire events.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors concentration changes across multiple sections and uses this feedback to distinguish between environmental variations and fire events. The determination unit analyzes the pattern of changes over time and space to make accurate fire detection decisions, reducing false alarms while maintaining simple device architecture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach improves fire detection accuracy by incorporating local environmental reference values, canceling out environmental changes and reducing false alarms in conditions with significant variations, such as those found in road tunnels.
Implementation Method 1
a transmitter (11) and a receiver (12). A light source (111) in the transmitter (11) sends an optical signal. A detector (122) in the receiver (12) detects the optical signal
Implementation Method 2
propagating an optical signal for measurement into the atmosphere
Data Source
AI summary
A fire detection system includes a transmitter including a light source that sends an optical signal and a receiver including a detector that detects the optical signal sent from the light source through a predetermined light propagation section, a signal processing unit that calculates at least one of a first gas concentration, a first smoke concentration, and a first temperature in the light propagation section based on the optical signal, a sensor that acquires at least one of a second gas concentration, a second smoke concentration, and a second temperature in the surroundings, and a determiner that determines whether there is a fire by comparing at least one of the first gas concentration, the first smoke concentration, and the first temperature with at least one of the second gas concentration, the second smoke concentration, and the second temperature in the surroundings.