JPS6227892A - Flame detector - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention automatically separates flames generated within a monitored area from flames caused by virtual images reflected from window glass, mirrors, etc. The present invention relates to a flame detection device that reliably detects flame.

(Prior Art) When the inventors of the present application detect that a fire has broken out in a monitoring area, they drive a pair of fire source detection devices, and detect the flame according to the calculation result based on the detection information from the fire source detection devices. proposed an automatic fire extinguishing system that determines the size of the flame and, if it exceeds a predetermined size, directs the nozzle toward the position of the flame and discharges extinguishing liquid to extinguish the flame (Japanese Patent Application No. 58-249141). @).

In such an automatic fire extinguishing system, in order to be able to quickly detect flames that occur within the monitoring area, the monitoring area is divided into three areas corresponding to a pair of fire source detection devices, and each fire source detection device They divided each area into sections and had them search for flames. When one of the pair of fire source detection devices detects a flame, the flame searching operation of the other fire source detection device is interrupted and the other fire source detection device is directed in the direction of the flame; Based on the detection information from a pair of fire source detection devices that captured the flames, the distance to the flames and the size of the flames were calculated using the principle of triangulation.

Based on this calculation result, the nozzle is directed to the position of the first detected flame, and extinguishing liquid is immediately discharged to extinguish the fire.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, if there is a light reflecting material such as a mirror, window glass, or polished floor within the monitoring area, the light energy emitted from the flame will be reflected by the light reflecting material. and enters the fire source detection device. That is, the actual flame and the virtual flame obtained by reflecting off mirrors, window glass, etc. create a situation that is as if two flames were present in the monitoring area at the same time. Under these circumstances, if the fire source detection device detects the flame caused by the virtual image first, the first priority is to extinguish the flame, and the fire source detects the flame caused by the virtual image without distinguishing whether it is an actual flame or a flame caused by the virtual image. If the size of the flame was larger than the specified size, fire extinguishing activities were immediately started. That is, the nozzle is directed in the direction of the virtual image flame and extinguishing liquid is ejected, which not only wastes the extinguishing liquid, but also causes the actual flame to spread during this time, causing even more serious damage. Ta.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it automatically distinguishes between real flames and virtual flames, and detects true flames reliably and quickly. In order to provide a flame detection device, a polarizing filter is attached to the front surface of a detector that detects light from a flame generated within a monitoring area, and polarizes incident light in a predetermined direction.
An adjusting section is provided to adjust the polarization axis of this polarizing filter in a predetermined direction, and on the other hand, the scanning surface by the scanning section, which scans the floor and wall surfaces in the monitoring area by directing the detector horizontally or vertically, is provided. It is discriminated by the scanning plane discrimination section, and the control signal from the scanning plane discrimination section is input to the adjustment section to adjust the polarization axis of the polarizing filter according to the scanning plane, so that only the true flame is detected, and the flame is detected by the detector. The flame determination unit determines whether there is a flame based on the detected information.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the main parts of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram showing the embodiment of FIG. 1 adapted to an automatic fire extinguishing system, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of FIG. 2;

The configuration will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. 1 is an automatic fire extinguishing system, and a pair of fire source detection devices 3 and 4 are mounted on a pedestal 2 at a predetermined interval. It is arranged. One fire source detection device 3 includes a detector 3a that detects a fire source.
, vertical direction control means 3b that controls the detector 3a in the vertical direction, and horizontal direction control means 3C that controls the detector 3a in the horizontal direction. Similarly, the other fire source detection device 4 includes a detector 4a for detecting a fire source, a vertical control means 4b for controlling the detector 4a in the vertical direction, and a horizontal control means for controlling the detector 4a in the horizontal direction. and means 4C. This vertical direction control means 3b and horizontal direction control means 3C
The detector 3a forms a scanning section, and the detector 3a scans the floor and wall surfaces within the monitoring area by vertically and horizontally scanning the detector 3a based on commands from the control section, which will be described later. Similarly, the vertical direction control means 4b and the horizontal direction control means 4C form the other scanning section, and the detector 4a is scanned in the vertical and horizontal directions for monitoring based on commands from the control section, which will be explained later. Scan the floor and walls within the area.

Here, the device configurations of the fire source detection devices 3 and 4 will be explained using the fire source detection device 3 as a representative. As shown in Fig. 1, the detector 3
Two polarizing filters 3d are attached to the front surface of a. The polarization axes of the two polarizing filters 3d are set to be perpendicular to each other so that one of the polarizing filters 3d polarizes the incident light in the horizontal direction, and the other polarizing filter polarizes the incident light in the vertical direction. Polarizing filter 3d is connected to motor 31 via shaft 3j. This motor 31 and shaft 3j constitute an adjustment section 3h, and the shaft 3j is adjusted to
Rotate 0 degrees to adjust the polarization axis of the polarization filter 3d. 3
e is a sensor using a pyroelectric element or the like, and is supported by a support rod 3f.

When light from the outside enters through the polarizing filter 3d,
The light is reflected by the reflecting mirror 3g and collected by the sensor 3e, which outputs detection information according to the optical energy of the incident light. Also,
The device configuration of the other fire source detection device 4 is the same as that of the fire source detection device 3. Here, if the polarization axes of the polarization filters 3d and 4d attached to the front surfaces of the detectors 3a and 4a are adjusted, for example, in the horizontal direction, the light reflected from the wall surface such as window glass, that is, the light reflected on the wall surface. The light from the flame due to the existing virtual image is cut and prevented from entering the corresponding detector. Furthermore, when the polarization axes of the polarizing filters 3d and 4d are adjusted in the vertical direction, the light reflected from the floor surface, that is, the light from the flame due to the virtual image existing on the floor surface, is cut and enters the corresponding detector. to prevent

Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, 5 is a nozzle device installed at the center of rotation of the pedestal 2, which includes a nozzle 5a that emits fire extinguishing liquid and a nozzle 5a that emits fire extinguishing liquid and fire detected by the fire source detection devices 3 and 4. It includes a radiation direction control means 5b that directs the nozzle 5a to the fire source position, and a radiation state control means 5C that controls the radiation state by adjusting the opening degree of the injection port of the nozzle 5a according to the distance to the fire source. Reference numeral 6 denotes a direction control means, which controls the rotation of the pedestal 2 in the horizontal direction so that the fire source detection devices 3, 4 and the nozzle device 5 are integrally opposed to the fire source 1. 7 is buzzer, 8
9 is a lamp, and 9 is a fire detector for overall monitoring, which outputs fire detection information to the circuit section 10. 11 is a tank for storing a fire extinguishing liquid such as a fire extinguisher or fire extinguishing water; 12 is a pump that delivers the fire extinguishing liquid from the tank 11 to the nozzle 5a; and 13 is a motor.

As shown in FIG. 3, the circuit section 10 includes an input interface 15 for inputting signals from the fire detector 9 and fire source detection devices 3 and 4, adjustment sections 3h and 4h, and fire source detection devices 3 and 4.
, an output interface 16 that outputs signals for driving the nozzle device 5 and the motor 13, a control section 17, and a buzzer 7.
and an alarm unit 18 that drives the lamp 8 are built-in. The control section 17 includes a scanning plane discriminating section 17a, a flame discriminating section 17b, and a fire source discriminating section 17C, and processes the signal based on the signal from the input interface 15 and outputs a control signal to the output interface 16 and the alarm section 18.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the control section 17 shown in FIG. 3. To explain the internal configuration of the control unit 17 in detail with reference to FIG. 4, the flame discrimination unit 17b receives respective detection information from the detectors 3a, 4a and the fire detector 9, and detects a fire. Based on the signal from the device 9, a determination is made to start searching for the fire source or to determine whether extinguishing has been completed. That is, when a signal from the fire detector 9 is obtained, a signal is output to the search command unit 48 to instruct it to start searching for the fire source, and when a signal from the fire detector 9 is no longer obtained, directly outputs a signal to the fire extinguishing command section 54 to instruct it to stop fire extinguishing activities. Further, the flame discrimination section 17b discriminates that the flame is a real flame based on the detection information from the detectors 3a and 4a, and drives the calculation section 53. A calculation program is set in the calculation unit 53, and the position of the fire source is calculated based on the detection information from the pair of detectors 3a and 4a based on the principle of triangulation. The fire extinguishing command section 54 controls the radial direction control means 5b based on the calculation result of the calculation section 53.

The radiation state control means 5C and the motor 13 are driven to issue a fire extinguishing command. The calculation unit 53 and the fire extinguishing command unit 54 constitute a fire source determination unit 17C. A control program such as a flame search program for searching for a flame is set in the search command unit 48, and the self-deviation angle setting unit 49, vertical deviation angle setting unit 50, and A control signal is output to each of the horizontal deviation angle setting sections 51 to instruct a flame search. The self-deflection angle setting unit 49 is the search command unit 4
The direction control means 6 is driven based on the control signal from the 8, and the self-deviation angle information is output to the scanning plane discriminator 17a. The vertical deviation angle setting section 50 has a built-in deviation angle setting program for setting the deviation angle in the vertical direction, and the search command section 4
Based on the control signal from 8, the vertical direction control means 3b or 4b is driven, and vertical deviation angle information is output to the scanning plane discrimination section 17a. The horizontal deviation angle setting section 51 has a built-in deviation angle setting program for setting the horizontal deviation angle, and drives the horizontal direction control means 3C or 4C based on the control signal from the search command section 48. At the same time, horizontal deviation angle information is output to the scanning plane discriminator 17a. The scanning plane discrimination section 17a includes a vertical deviation angle setting section 50 and a horizontal deviation angle setting section 5.
The scanning plane is determined based on the deviation angle information from 1, that is, the vertical deviation angle and the horizontal deviation angle. Specifically, when self-deflection angle information is obtained from the self-deflection angle setting unit 49, the horizontal deviation angle is set because the horizontal deviation angle is deviated overall. The horizontal deviation angle from the unit 51 is corrected to determine whether the scanning surface is a floor surface or a wall surface within the monitoring area.

FIG. 5 is a discrimination table showing scanning plane discrimination in the scanning plane discriminating section 17a of FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the vertical deviation angle θ is determined in three stages: θ1 or less, between VO2 and VO2, and 762 or more. That is, when the vertical deviation angle θ is less than ■θ1,
If the horizontal deviation angle θ is Hθ1 or more and Hθ2 or less, it is determined that it is a floor surface, and if the horizontal deviation angle θ is smaller than HO2 or exceeds HO2, it is determined that it is a wall surface. Next, when the vertical deviation angle θ is between VO2 and VO2, the horizontal deviation angle θ is Hθ3 or more H
If the deviation angle θ in the horizontal direction is less than or equal to θ4, it is determined to be a floor surface, and if the horizontal deviation angle θ is less than HO2 or exceeds HO2, it is determined to be a wall surface. Furthermore, the vertical deviation angle θ
If the value of is 762 or more, the horizontal deviation angle θ
If the value of is Hθ5 or more and Hθ6 or less, it is determined that it is a floor surface, and if the value of the horizontal deviation angle θ is less than HO2 or exceeds HO2, it is determined that it is a wall surface. Here, the vertical axis is set perpendicular to the floor surface, the horizontal axis is set to the front direction, and VO2 is VO2
VO2 is set smaller than VO2.

Further, HO2 is set to be smaller than HO2, HO2 is set to be smaller than HO2, HO2 is set to be smaller than HO2, HO2 is set to be smaller than HO2, and HO2 is set to be smaller than HO2. Referring again to FIG. 4, the adjustment command unit 52
Adjustment unit 3h or 4 based on the scanning surface determination from 7a.
Outputs a signal to h. That is, when the scanning surface discriminating section 17a determines that the scanning surface is a floor surface, it adjusts the polarization axis of the corresponding polarizing filter in the vertical direction, and when determining that the scanning surface is a wall surface, it adjusts the polarization axis of the corresponding polarizing filter in the vertical direction. Outputs a command signal to adjust the polarization axis of the filter in the horizontal direction.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are flowcharts showing control operations of the control section 17.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.

In FIG. 6A, block 21 sets an initial state in normal times. For example, horizontal direction control means 3c,
4c and also controls the direction control means 6 to move the frame 2.
The rotation angle of the detector is adjusted so that the detectors 3a, 4a and the nozzle 5a are directed toward the front. In addition, the vertical direction control means 3b and 4b are controlled to direct, for example, the vertical deviation angle of the detector 3a directly downward, and the vertical deviation angle of the detector 4a to be directed approximately toward the center of the monitoring area. let block 22
Then, the fire detector 9 detects the inside of the monitoring area, for example, area No. 1.
The area is divided into Mikasa and area N002, and fires are monitored in each area. Here, if a fire occurs in monitoring area No. 1, the fire detector 9 detects the flame that occurred in area N0.1. After detection, the process proceeds from block 22 to block 23. In block 23, the direction control means 6 is driven to rotate the pedestal 2 in the horizontal direction, so that the detectors 3a, 4a and the nozzle 5a are integrally opposed to each other in the direction of area No. 1. block 24
Then, the detectors 3a and 4a are instructed to perform a flame search operation. That is, the vertical deflection angle is set such that the detector 3a is set directly below and the detector 4a is set approximately toward the center of the monitoring area, and in this state, the horizontal direction control means 3C and 4C are driven to respond. While maintaining the vertical deviation angles of the detectors 3a and 4a at their initial values, the area N0.1 is sequentially controlled in the horizontal direction. In block 25, horizontal control means 3c.

As 4C is driven, the scanning plane for flame search is determined.

That is, if the scanning surface is a wall surface, the process proceeds to block 26, where the polarization axis of the corresponding polarization filter is adjusted in the horizontal direction. Further, when it is determined in block 25 that the scanning plane is the floor surface, the process proceeds to block 27, where the polarization axis of the corresponding polarization filter is adjusted in the vertical direction. In block 28, it is determined whether or not the detector 3a has detected a flame. If no flame has been detected, the process proceeds to block 29 and the detection information from the detector 4a is decoded. If no flame detection information is obtained in block 29, the process proceeds to block 30, in which the vertical direction control means 3b and 4b are driven to direct the vertical directivity angles of the corresponding detectors 3a and 4a upward by a predetermined angle, respectively. Set the deviation to .

In block 31, the scanning plane for flame search is determined in accordance with the driving of the vertical direction control means 3b and 4b in block 30. That is, if it is determined that the scanning surface is a wall surface, the process proceeds to block 32, where the polarization axis of the corresponding polarization filter is adjusted in the horizontal direction. If it is determined in block 31 that the scanning plane is the floor surface, the process proceeds to block 33, where the polarization axis of the corresponding polarization filter is adjusted in the vertical direction. The program then proceeds to block 24, where the horizontal direction control means 3c and 4c are driven. That is, while maintaining the vertical deviation angles of the detectors 3a and 4a at the deviation angle set in block 30, the area No. 1 is scanned in the horizontal direction.

Similarly, the vertical deviation angles of the detectors 3a and 4a are set upward by a predetermined angle step by step based on a preset deviation angle setting program, and while maintaining the respective deviation angles. The flame search operation is repeated by scanning the detectors 3a and 4a in the areas No. 1 in the horizontal direction. As the flame search operations of the detectors 3a and 4a progress, and if the detector 3a detects a flame first, the process proceeds from block 28 to block 35, in which the horizontal direction control means 4C and the vertical direction control means 4d of the fire source detection device 4 are activated. It is driven to direct the detector 4a in the direction of the flame.

In block 36, the buzzer 7 is sounded and the lamp 8 is activated.
Lights up to display an alarm. Further, the process proceeds from ■ in FIG. 6 A to block 37 via ■ in FIG. Together, they face the direction of the flames. In block 38, as the pedestal 2 rotates, the detector 3
The directivity angles of a and 4a are readjusted as they deviate from the flame, and the horizontal control means 3C and 4C are driven to direct the detectors 3a and 4a in the direction of the flame. In block 39 a pair of detectors 3 obtained through a polarizing filter
the exact location of the flame based on the detection information from a and 4a;
That is, the distance to the flame and the height and width of the flame are calculated. The nozzle device 5 is controlled based on the result of this calculation, and in block 40, the radiation direction control means 5b is driven to control the vertical directivity angle of the nozzle 5a and direct the injection port in the direction of the flame. In block 41, the radiation state control means 5C is driven to adjust the opening degree of the injection port of the nozzle 5a, thereby controlling the discharge state in which the extinguishing liquid is discharged. In block 42, the motor 13 is activated to operate the fire extinguishing pump 12, and discharge extinguishing liquid from the nozzle 5a to start fire extinguishing activities. In block 43, it is monitored whether the fire has been extinguished based on the detection information from the fire detector 9. If the fire is not completely extinguished, the process proceeds from block 43 to block 39, where the pair of detectors 3a and 4a are again detected. The fire source position is calculated by collecting detection information from the nozzle 5a, and based on the calculation result, the radiation direction and radiation state of the nozzle 5a are readjusted to continue firefighting operations. When it is confirmed in block 43 that the fire has been completely extinguished, the process proceeds to block 44, where the motor 13 and fire pump 12 are turned off to stop fire extinguishing activities. In block 45, the buzzer 7 and lamp 8 are turned off to stop the alarm, and the process returns to block 21 again via ■ in FIG. 6 8 to ■ in FIG.
Fire monitoring is performed by setting the directivity angles of a and 4a to their initial states.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing essential parts of another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, one polarizing filter 3d is provided in front of the detector 3a, and by rotating the polarizing filter 3d with the rotation of the adjustment unit 3h, that is, the motor 31, the polarization axis of the polarizing filter 3d can be set vertically or horizontally. It is characterized by being adjusted to. That is, a threaded portion 3k is provided at the tip of a shaft 3j connected to a motor 31, a threaded portion 31 that engages with this threaded portion 3 is provided on the outer periphery of a polarizing filter 3d, and an adjustment portion 3h based on a command from a control portion 17 is provided. That is, the rotation of the polarizing filter 3d is controlled as the motor 31 rotates. Therefore, the light from the flame enters through the polarizing filter 3d whose polarization axis is adjusted according to the scanning plane, is reflected by the reflecting mirror 3g, and is collected by the sensor 3e supported by the support rod 3f. outputs a signal according to the light emitted. 2 is a frame, 3b is a vertical direction control means, 3
C is a horizontal direction control means.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the cost can be further reduced by using one polarizing filter.

In the above embodiment, a pair of fire source detection devices are provided, and each fire source detection device includes a detector for detecting flame, a vertical control means for controlling the detector in the vertical direction, and a vertical direction control means for controlling the detector in the horizontal direction. Although the configuration includes horizontal direction control means for controlling the fire source and a polarizing filter provided in front of the detector, it is also possible to configure the configuration using only one fire source detection device.

Furthermore, if the fire source detection device is installed and fixed on the ceiling surface, a wide viewing angle can be obtained and the fire source can be reliably detected.

In addition, in the discrimination table shown in Fig. 5, the case where the value of the vertical deviation angle θ is set in three stages is shown as an example, but the discrimination table is prepared for each appropriate stage that is three or more stages. Once set, the scan plane can be determined in detail.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, a polarizing filter that polarizes incident light in a predetermined direction is attached to the front surface of a detector that detects light from a flame generated in a monitoring area. An adjusting section for adjusting the polarization axis of the polarizing filter in a predetermined direction is provided, and a scanning section scans the floor and wall surfaces in the monitoring area by directing the detector horizontally or vertically. It is discriminated by the surface discrimination section, the control signal from the scanning surface discrimination section is input to the adjustment section, the polarization axis of the polarizing filter is adjusted according to the scanning surface, and the detection information from the detector is input to the flame discrimination section. By making the flame discrimination based on the detection information from the detector obtained through the polarizing filter, it is possible to automatically distinguish between a real flame and a flame caused by a virtual image. In addition, the flame detection device can be detected quickly, and the reliability of the flame detection device is greatly improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side view showing the main parts of one embodiment of the present invention;
The figure shows the overall configuration of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 applied to an automatic fire extinguishing system, Fig. 3 shows the circuit block diagram of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 shows the internal structure of the control section of Fig. 3. The block diagram, FIG. 5 is a discrimination table showing the scanning plane discrimination in the scanning plane discrimination section of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6A and FIG.
A flowchart showing the control operation of the control unit shown in the figure,
FIG. 7 is a side view showing essential parts of another embodiment of the present invention. 1: Automatic fire extinguishing device 2: Frame 3.4 Two fire source detection devices 3a, 4a: Detectors 3b, 4b: Vertical direction control means 3c, 4c: Horizontal direction control means 3d, 4d: Polarizing filters 3e, 4e: Sensor 3f , 4f: Support rods 3g, 4g: Reflection mirrors 3h, 4h: Adjustment parts 3i, 4i: Motors 3j, 4j: Shaft 3, [1: Threaded part 5: Nozzle device 5a: Nozzle 5b: Radial direction control means 5C: Radiation state control means 6 Two-way control means 7: Buzzer 8: Lamp 9: Fire detector 10: Circuit section 11: Tank 12: Fire pump 13: Motor 15: Input interface 16: Output interface 17: Control section 17a: Scanning surface Discrimination section 17b: Flame discrimination section 17C: Fire source discrimination section 18: Alarm section

Claims (1)

[Claims] a detector that detects light from a flame generated within the monitored area;
a scanning section that scans the floor and wall surfaces in the monitoring area by directing the detector in the horizontal or vertical direction; a scanning surface discriminating section that discriminates the scanning surface by the scanning section and outputs a control signal; a polarizing filter provided on the front surface of the detector to polarize incident light in a predetermined direction; an adjustment unit that adjusts the polarization axis of the polarizing filter based on a control signal from the scanning plane discriminating unit; and detection from the detector. A flame detection device comprising: a flame discrimination section that discriminates a flame based on a signal.