EP1449566A2 - Détecteur des sources thermiques - Google Patents

Détecteur des sources thermiques Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1449566A2
EP1449566A2 EP04386007A EP04386007A EP1449566A2 EP 1449566 A2 EP1449566 A2 EP 1449566A2 EP 04386007 A EP04386007 A EP 04386007A EP 04386007 A EP04386007 A EP 04386007A EP 1449566 A2 EP1449566 A2 EP 1449566A2
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
detector
heat sources
area
face
fire
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Application number
EP04386007A
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP1449566A3 (fr
Inventor
Christos Doukas
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Individual
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Individual
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Publication date
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Publication of EP1449566A2 publication Critical patent/EP1449566A2/fr
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
    • G08B17/00—Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion
    • G08B17/005—Fire alarms; Alarms responsive to explosion for forest fires, e.g. detecting fires spread over a large or outdoors area
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
    • A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
    • A62C3/00—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places
    • A62C3/02—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places for area conflagrations, e.g. forest fires, subterranean fires
    • A62C3/0271—Detection of area conflagration fires

Definitions

  • This invention involves a detection system capable of (i) locating a forest fire from afar, even if the fire is still in its early stages, and (ii) providing effective protection of an area against arson, one of the most common causes of forest fires.
  • This kind of arson is carried out for mainly economic reasons (creation of building plots, farming land or grazing land).
  • the arsonists are active mostly during the summer, taking advantage of seasonal dry conditions and strong winds.
  • the 'Lidar' system (a light and site detector, a kind of laser) also belongs to this class.
  • Airplanes and helicopters have been used to monitor large and remote forest regions of Russia, USA, Canada and Australia. They can cover much larger areas and are much more flexible than ground-based monitoring posts. Their main disadvantages are that they cannot provide continuous coverage, nor can they fly when the wind is very strong (a very common cause of fire spreading).
  • Thermovision' system consists of an aluminum mirror which reflects thermal radiation; placed at the belly of an airplane /helicopter, it can monitor an area whose size is twice the operating height of the airplane / helicopter. Radar can also locate areas which are being struck by lightning, and are therefore at a high risk for fire.
  • the most up-to-date way of fire detection is by using Earth-orbiting satellites. These satellites orbit at various altitudes, depending on their intended purpose.
  • a forest-fire monitoring satellite must orbit at a relatively low altitude. In this case, however, the satellite cannot remain stationary over a fixed point of the Earth's surface, but it keeps moving relative to it.
  • the orbital period of a satellite depends on its altitude above the Earth's surface. For example, at an altitude of 500 km, the orbital velocity is 7.63 km/sec and the orbital period 1 hour and 34 minutes. This is certainly a disadvantage, if one of the intended purposes of the satellite is the continuous monitoring of a specific forest area.
  • Satellites are equipped with sensitive scientific instruments, among them photosensitive surfaces (i.e. surfaces sensitive to light), especially to infrared radiation, which is scattered by the atmosphere much less than radiation of shorter wavelengths, i.e. visible or ultraviolet.
  • photosensitive surfaces i.e. surfaces sensitive to light
  • infrared radiation which is scattered by the atmosphere much less than radiation of shorter wavelengths, i.e. visible or ultraviolet.
  • the photosensitive surfaces detect the flux of radiation, whose intensity varies inversely proportional to the square of the distance of the emitting source ( ⁇ 1/r 2 ).
  • a forest fire can be detected from such an altitude only if it is large enough to leave on the photosensitive surface a trace which can be distinguished from all the others; this means that, by the time of detection, the fire has already spread considerably. Moreover, if the fire is the result of arson, the culprit has already had enough time to leave the area.
  • the proposed invention is based on a different philosophy, which gives rise to its main advantage.
  • the invention is not just capable of locating a fire very early: it can also act preventively by deterring prospective arsonists. As described in the following, it can spot suspicious movements and photograph any culprit(s).
  • the monitoring of a forest area must be conducted from a high point, e.g. a mountaintop.
  • the area around this point should be as steep as possible and clear of any nearby clumps of trees blocking optical contact with more distant points.
  • Still better monitoring results may be achieved if the entire system is suspended from an airborne balloon hovering over or near the forest area and permanently linked to a ground-based observation post.
  • the balloon is the first characteristic element of the proposed invention.
  • Small photosensitive surfaces in combination with small converging lenses placed in front of them, are the second characteristic element of the invention. Taken together, these two characteristics will not only allow the identification of a heat source from afar; with the help of a computer installed at the observation post, they will also make possible the mapping of an extended area.
  • a third characteristic element is the use of television camera(s) equipped with a telephoto lens, capable of taking pictures at nighttime and similar to those used on satellites.
  • the balloon may be filled with any gas lighter than air (e.g. hydrogen, helium, coal gas, etc).
  • any gas lighter than air e.g. hydrogen, helium, coal gas, etc.
  • the outside atmospheric pressure drops, so the gas inside the balloon expands; thus, the balloon must be made of an elastic, extensible material to prevent it from bursting as it rises.
  • the balloon is made of a non-extensible material, a small pipe must be installed at the lowest point of the balloon to permit the pressure inside the balloon to be always equal to the outside atmospheric pressure.
  • the light gas is likely to leak out slowly through the balloon's envelope, thus leading to a reduction of the buoyancy force and the eventual fall of the balloon. Therefore, the balloon needs to be replenished with light gas at regular intervals. This may be done either (i) from a cylinder of light gas under pressure carried aloft by the balloon, which ensures a high degree of operational autonomy; or (ii) through a lightweight pipe connecting the balloon to its base on the ground. If a gaseous filling material is difficult to use, we propose the use of a volatile liquid instead.
  • This liquid is to be conveyed under pressure through an even lighter pipe into the balloon, where it will be sprayed and vaporized.
  • photosensitive surfaces photocells, photoresistances, photodiodes, etc
  • we recommend the use of photoresistances because of their excellent properties (e.g. small size and high sensitivity, even to very low radiation levels).
  • the photoresistances are semiconductors whose electrical resistance varies considerably when they are illuminated; this variation is proportional to the intensity of the incident radiation.
  • the lowest amount of radiation flux which can be detected by a photoresistance is of the order of 3 ⁇ 10 -10 Lumen. Thus, even a faint and/or remote source of light and/or heat can be detected.
  • Such photoresistances are capable of detecting intercontinental missiles at daytime from many hundreds of kilometers away, because their exhaust gases are strong emitters of infrared radiation.
  • the flux to be detected may be enhanced through the use of suitable converging lenses, to be placed in front of the photoresistance.
  • a combination of lenses and photoresistances may be used to pinpoint the position of the source.
  • a beam of incident rays parallel to the main axis of the lens will focus at the main focus (which lies on the main axis); a beam which makes some angle with the main axis will focus at a secondary focus (which lies some distance off the main axis).
  • the angle between the beam and the main axis exceeds a certain value, the photosensitive surface behind the lens will not be illuminated.
  • the angle between the parallel beam and the main axis of the lens i.e. the line perpendicular to the lens
  • the flux of radiation which goes through the lens will decrease. Only the component of the flux perpendicular to the lens is now important; according to a well-known law of physics, it is proportional to the cosine of the incidence angle.
  • the most suitable type of converging lens is the meniscus, the thinnest (and therefore lightest) type of lens. Only the central beam of rays falling on each of the system's lenses will form a trace on the photosensitive surface behind that lens; therefore, each of those lenses will be monitoring an area whose size will depend on the distance of that particular area from the system (the more distant the area, the larger its size).
  • the system will form its final image in a way similar to that employed for a television screen, where the final image is made up of a large number of dots.
  • a reference source emitting in the infrared may be placed at the observation post.
  • the position of any source (fixed or moving) can be determined with great accuracy if the precise position of the reference source is known.
  • the proposed system can locate a fire much more efficiently than a satellite: the area under surveillance is smaller, the monitoring altitude is lower, and the same heat source will now leave a much stronger trace on the photosensitive surface (as the flux to be detected is inversely proportional to r 2 ).
  • An additional advantage is that the number of heat sources capable of giving false alarms will now be much smaller.
  • the system can identify prospective arsonists before they can carry out their task.
  • any solitary vehicle moving on a forest road, or any vehicle which leaves a central highway to enter a secluded forest area shall be considered suspect; it will then be monitored and photographed.
  • the computer at the observation post will be able to compare and identify the suspect vehicle.
  • Even a single individual may be located from afar (especially at nighttime) because of the infrared radiation emitted by the human body.
  • the human body is a heat source, from which power of the order of 100 Watt leaks out through conduction, convection and radiation).
  • ground fires i.e. hidden
  • small, smoldering fires which are hard for a human to detect.
  • the photosensitive surfaces receive scattered, uniformly distributed sunlight.
  • a lightweight cover whose outside surface will probably have to be reflective.
  • the system may be supplemented with television camera(s) equipped with a telephoto lens, similar to those used on satellites.
  • Infrared radiation is not visible to the human eye. For direct observation, it must be converted into visible light. This may be achieved by means of electronic infrared converters, whose operation is based on the photoelectric effect. They can also be used to magnify the image to any desired degree.
  • Such converters are already being used for nighttime warfare (night vision binoculars). The direct observation is done on a television screen.
  • the proposed system can be used for military purposes too, without major modifications. It is capable of monitoring and controlling large areas even when they are covered by clouds or fog.
  • the system can detect enemy airplanes and helicopters before they become visible, especially when they fly low to avoid radar detection.
  • the system can be used to protect isolated buildings and installations. In those cases, the system must be installed at the top of the building, from where it can monitor the surrounding area by detecting and photographing the infrared radiation emitted by uninvited guests and/or their vehicles.
  • the electronic system at the observation post should collect other data too (local meteorological data, in particular). Using these data, one can calculate the fire risk at any given time. Such data include air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, moisture content of forest material, dryness of grass, status of new vegetation, the effect of long dry spells on thick, dead branches & trunks, etc.
  • These two methods may be adapted to the present case either by letting fine aluminum fibers hang from the balloon, or by attaching fine particles of AgJ on the outside surface of the balloon.
  • Figure 1 shows a panoramic view of a forest area, together with a balloon from which the detection / monitoring system is suspended.
  • the balloon is permanently connected to the ground.
  • the control post for the whole area as well as the cover which protects the system from the direct incidence of sunlight.
  • At the bottom of the suspended system there will be television camera(s), equipped with a telephoto lens and capable of moving on a horizontal as well as on a vertical plane.
  • figure 2a shows a photoresistance of selenium (2.1 selenium, 2.2 metal electrode, 2.3 glass), while figure 2b shows a small photoresistance of cadmium sulfide (CdS).
  • CdS cadmium sulfide
  • a unit may be formed (figure 3) by combining a converging meniscus 3.1 with a photoresistance 3.2 to maximize the intensity of incident radiation; this unit can then be used to monitor its respective area with high efficiency.
  • Two parallel beams falling perpendicularly on their respective lenses have been drawn; the converging beams are intercepted by their respective photosensitive surfaces before they can focus at their respective focal centers.
  • the incidence angle ⁇ increases, the radiation falling on the lens and its respective photosensitive surface decreases (in proportion to cos ⁇ ).
  • the incident beam will focus at a secondary focus (on the focal plane) and will not illuminate the respective photosensitive surface.
  • the first one is formed by polygonal surfaces 4.1, which carry (at their respective centers) the small photosensitive surfaces 4.2; the second one is formed by the lens surfaces 4.3.
  • the first polyhedron is to be suitably placed inside the second one, as shown in figure 4.
  • Recesses and projections 4.4 around the lenses and photoresistances may be employed to facilitate (because of symmetry) the assembly of the respective polyhedral surface from its individual parts.
  • the combination lenses / photoresistances has been drawn as a dashed circular arc.
  • Two rays, BE and BE' have been drawn from a point source B (whose unknown position is to be determined).
  • the first ray BE falls perpendicularly on a certain photoresistance, which may be identified from the fact that its measured value is the smallest among all photoresistance values measured by the system.
  • the second ray BE' falls obliquely on an adjacent photoresistance, whose measured value exceeds the previous one by a factor equal to the inverse cosine of the angle x. This gives the value of angle x.

Landscapes

  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
  • Emergency Management (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Forests & Forestry (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Ecology (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Photometry And Measurement Of Optical Pulse Characteristics (AREA)
  • Fire-Detection Mechanisms (AREA)
  • Closed-Circuit Television Systems (AREA)
EP04386007A 2003-02-21 2004-02-18 Détecteur des sources thermiques Withdrawn EP1449566A3 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GR20030100093A GR1004455B (el) 2003-02-21 2003-02-21 Ανιχνευτησαπηγωναθερμοτητος
GR2003100093 2003-02-21

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1449566A2 true EP1449566A2 (fr) 2004-08-25
EP1449566A3 EP1449566A3 (fr) 2004-10-13

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ID=32051154

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EP04386007A Withdrawn EP1449566A3 (fr) 2003-02-21 2004-02-18 Détecteur des sources thermiques

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EP (1) EP1449566A3 (fr)
GR (1) GR1004455B (fr)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2014127604A1 (fr) * 2012-04-24 2014-08-28 Sun Bin Equipement d'ingénierie entièrement automatique pour la lutte contre les incendies de forêt
CN109490899A (zh) * 2018-11-12 2019-03-19 广西交通科学研究院有限公司 一种基于激光雷达和红外热成像仪的隧道内火源定位方法
WO2019069248A1 (fr) * 2017-10-03 2019-04-11 Al Shimmari Faisal Mohammed Ali Mohammed Système et dispositif d'assistance au personnel de sauvetage et d'aide en cas d'urgence
CN111265798A (zh) * 2020-03-26 2020-06-12 长春师范大学 一种基于无人机的高层楼宇灭火装置

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN104958846B (zh) * 2015-07-17 2018-07-27 南安市荣华机械科技有限公司 一种高空灭火装置
CN111921128A (zh) * 2020-08-12 2020-11-13 南安市荣华机械科技有限公司 一种高空灭火设备

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2669455A1 (fr) * 1990-11-21 1992-05-22 Dassault Electronique Installation de teledetection aerienne et/ou terrestre, notamment pour la detection des feux de forets.
FR2679779A1 (fr) * 1991-07-31 1993-02-05 Lang Jacques Procede de detection aeroportee systematique et de positionnement des feux de forets.
FR2696939A1 (fr) * 1992-10-16 1994-04-22 Bertin & Cie Procédé et dispositif de détection automatique rapide de feux de forêt.
EP0656532A2 (fr) * 1993-12-03 1995-06-07 Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Détecteur des sources thermiques
FR2750870A1 (fr) * 1996-07-12 1998-01-16 T2M Automation Procede de detection automatique de feux, notamment de feux de forets
EP0922970A1 (fr) * 1997-12-10 1999-06-16 Manu, Lorraine Dispositif de détection de source chaude
US5936245A (en) * 1996-06-03 1999-08-10 Institut Francais Du Petrole Method and system for remote sensing of the flammability of the different parts of an area flown over by an aircraft

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2669455A1 (fr) * 1990-11-21 1992-05-22 Dassault Electronique Installation de teledetection aerienne et/ou terrestre, notamment pour la detection des feux de forets.
FR2679779A1 (fr) * 1991-07-31 1993-02-05 Lang Jacques Procede de detection aeroportee systematique et de positionnement des feux de forets.
FR2696939A1 (fr) * 1992-10-16 1994-04-22 Bertin & Cie Procédé et dispositif de détection automatique rapide de feux de forêt.
EP0656532A2 (fr) * 1993-12-03 1995-06-07 Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Détecteur des sources thermiques
US5936245A (en) * 1996-06-03 1999-08-10 Institut Francais Du Petrole Method and system for remote sensing of the flammability of the different parts of an area flown over by an aircraft
FR2750870A1 (fr) * 1996-07-12 1998-01-16 T2M Automation Procede de detection automatique de feux, notamment de feux de forets
EP0922970A1 (fr) * 1997-12-10 1999-06-16 Manu, Lorraine Dispositif de détection de source chaude

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2014127604A1 (fr) * 2012-04-24 2014-08-28 Sun Bin Equipement d'ingénierie entièrement automatique pour la lutte contre les incendies de forêt
WO2019069248A1 (fr) * 2017-10-03 2019-04-11 Al Shimmari Faisal Mohammed Ali Mohammed Système et dispositif d'assistance au personnel de sauvetage et d'aide en cas d'urgence
CN109490899A (zh) * 2018-11-12 2019-03-19 广西交通科学研究院有限公司 一种基于激光雷达和红外热成像仪的隧道内火源定位方法
CN111265798A (zh) * 2020-03-26 2020-06-12 长春师范大学 一种基于无人机的高层楼宇灭火装置

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1449566A3 (fr) 2004-10-13
GR1004455B (el) 2004-02-17

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