GB2574010A - Fire alarm verification - Google Patents
Fire alarm verification Download PDFInfo
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- GB2574010A GB2574010A GB1808328.7A GB201808328A GB2574010A GB 2574010 A GB2574010 A GB 2574010A GB 201808328 A GB201808328 A GB 201808328A GB 2574010 A GB2574010 A GB 2574010A
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- control panel
- camera
- network
- fire alarm
- alarm system
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- 238000012795 verification Methods 0.000 title description 15
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 28
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- 230000000007 visual effect Effects 0.000 description 13
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 description 11
- 230000001629 suppression Effects 0.000 description 9
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- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 4
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G08—SIGNALLING
- G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08B29/00—Checking or monitoring of signalling or alarm systems; Prevention or correction of operating errors, e.g. preventing unauthorised operation
- G08B29/18—Prevention or correction of operating errors
- G08B29/183—Single detectors using dual technologies
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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
- G08B17/12—Actuation by presence of radiation or particles, e.g. of infrared radiation or of ions
- G08B17/125—Actuation by presence of radiation or particles, e.g. of infrared radiation or of ions by using a video camera to detect fire or smoke
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G08—SIGNALLING
- G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08B25/00—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
- G08B25/01—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems characterised by the transmission medium
- G08B25/10—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems characterised by the transmission medium using wireless transmission systems
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G08—SIGNALLING
- G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08B25/00—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
- G08B25/14—Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G08—SIGNALLING
- G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08B13/00—Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
- G08B13/18—Actuation by interference with heat, light, or radiation of shorter wavelength; Actuation by intruding sources of heat, light, or radiation of shorter wavelength
- G08B13/189—Actuation by interference with heat, light, or radiation of shorter wavelength; Actuation by intruding sources of heat, light, or radiation of shorter wavelength using passive radiation detection systems
- G08B13/194—Actuation by interference with heat, light, or radiation of shorter wavelength; Actuation by intruding sources of heat, light, or radiation of shorter wavelength using passive radiation detection systems using image scanning and comparing systems
- G08B13/196—Actuation by interference with heat, light, or radiation of shorter wavelength; Actuation by intruding sources of heat, light, or radiation of shorter wavelength using passive radiation detection systems using image scanning and comparing systems using television cameras
- G08B13/19654—Details concerning communication with a camera
- G08B13/1966—Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G08—SIGNALLING
- G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08B25/00—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems
- G08B25/01—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems characterised by the transmission medium
- G08B25/04—Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems characterised by the transmission medium using a single signalling line, e.g. in a closed loop
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- Emergency Management (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Multimedia (AREA)
- Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
- Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
- Alarm Systems (AREA)
- Fire Alarms (AREA)
Abstract
A networked unit 30 of a fire alarm system comprises housing 31, network port 33, functional unit 32 connected to the network port for network communication, and camera 34 having a field of view extending from the networked unit, and arranged to generate images. The functional unit may be a call point, a sounder, a beacon, a control panel, a repeater unit, or a fire detector. In a second aspect, a control panel of a fire alarm system comprises a network hub from which units of a fire alarm system are connected in a network. The control panel further features a keypad by which a user can communicate with the panel, indicating lights by which the control panel displays status information, a display screen by which information is displayed to a user, and a communication port for connection of devices separate from the network.
Description
Fire Alarm Verification
The present invention relates to a fire alarm system of the type having a control panel and a plurality of networked units connected together in one or more loops extending from the control panel in a network. The invention also relates to a networked unit of a fire alarm system, and to a control panel of a fire alarm system.
Fire alarm systems are extremely effective at detecting fires, but it is common for them to be set off when no fire is present. A false alarm can be triggered for a large number of reasons. For example, smoke is commonly detected as a result of a person cooking, without there being a fire present. Another example is where steam from a bathroom is detected by a smoke detector unit. A further example is where a person activates a call point either accidentally or maliciously.
When a fire is signalled to the control panel by a fire detector unit or call point, various actions can be taken which are disruptive and costly, such as the evacuation of a building, the attendance of the local fire service, or the triggering of a fire suppression system. As a result of frequent false alarms, many fire alarm systems now require the visual verification by a person of the signalled alarm at the control panel before actions of these kinds are taken. It will be appreciated that, in many cases, a person undertaking the visual verification finds that no fire is signalled, and does not need to initiate the actions outlined above. However, where there is a fire, the verification process causes a delay between the fire being detected and the actions being taken. This can mean that there is less time for a building to be evacuated, that the fire is more advanced by the time the fire service arrives, and that fire suppression is less effective because the fire has spread further before it was triggered. Further, the person undertaking the visual verification might not have enough evidence that a fire is actually present.
Much work has been done by the manufacturers of fire alarm systems to address this problem by reducing the occurrence of false alarms. However, the present invention takes a different approach.
According to the present invention, a networked unit of a fire alarm system comprises: a housing; a network port; a functional unit connected to the network port for network communication; and a camera having a field of view extending from the networked unit, and arranged to generate images.
The presence of a camera within the networked unit, in addition to the functional unit, facilitates the possibility of a building manager viewing the images from the camera when a fire has been detected to make a visual assessment of whether there is, actually, a fire. If, from the images of the camera, the building manager can see a fire, he can initiate the necessary action, which might be to cause an evacuation by sounding the alarm, calling the fire service, or activating a fire suppression system. In this situation, the delay between a fire being detected, and action being taken is significantly reduced.
Preferably, the networked unit further comprises a camera controller arranged to control the operation of the camera, and to manage its communication. This permits the building manager to control the operation of the camera, and to ensure that the images generated by the camera are communicated to him. In that case, it is also advantageous for the camera controller to include a control input for receiving camera control signals.
It is advantageous for the networked unit to include a wireless port connected to the camera controller via which the images can be transmitted from the networked unit, transmission via the wireless port being separate from the network communication. In this way, the images can be received by the building manager without them needing to be transmitted through the network, which might reduce the capacity of the network to handle the signalling of fire alarms. Thus, the fire alarm system as a whole maintains greater integrity.
Preferably, the wireless port is arranged to receive the camera control signals and to pass them to the camera controller. In this way, the load on the network is at least minimised, if not entirely unaffected by the operation of the camera.
According to one embodiment, the camera is a thermal imaging camera. The use of such a camera is useful in a number of situations. Firstly, people and livestock are much more distinct in images from a thermal image camera because they stand out from their surroundings very greatly as a result of the difference in their heat. This can be very useful when trying to verify complete evacuation of a building. It is important not to put the lives of firefighters at risk by sending them into a burning building in which no one is present. Furthermore, when a fire is present, a camera relying on visible light becomes quickly overwhelmed by the presence of smoke, whereas a thermal imaging camera is better able to see through that smoke to identify the presence of people or livestock.
The functional unit might be one of a number of different types of fire alarm unit, such as a call point, a sounder, a beacon, a control panel, a repeater and a fire detector.
Alternatively, the functional unit might be one of a number of different types of fire alarm unit such as a call point, a sounder, a beacon, a repeater, and a control panel, wherein the functional unit is not a fire detector.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, control panel of a fire alarm system comprises: a network hub from which units of a fire alarm system are connected in a network; a keypad by which a user can communicate with the panel; indicating lights by which the control panel displays status information; a display screen by which information is displayed to a user; and a communication port for connection of devices separate from the network.
In one embodiment, the communication port is a wireless access point for connection of wireless devices separate from the network.
It is a great advantage for the control panel to include the wireless access point in addition to the network hub so as to communicate with wireless devices, such as cameras, independently of the fire alarm network. In this way, the fire alarm network is reserved for uses such as fire detector units reporting the detection of fires to the control panel without being compromised by large amounts of data being transmitted through the network from a camera.
In other embodiments, the a communication port is a cellular phone connection, such as 3G, 4G, or 4G USB, or is a wireless connection to a local wireless system.
The control panel may include a directory of units of the fire alarm system, and the location of wireless devices which are co-located with one or more of the units. The control panel may include a data transmitter for transmitting control signals to wireless devices, such as cameras, when a fire has been reported to the control panel by a co-located networked unit of the fire alarm system.
Preferably, the control panel includes a camera having a field of view extending from the control panel, and arranged to generate images. Not only will this enable a record to be kept of anyone who operates or interferes with the control panel, but if the fire alarm system is connected to a remote monitoring station, the camera from the control panel will additionally provide images of the region around the control panel, in case there is a fire in that location.
It is also advantageous to include a data storage unit to store data received from wireless devices, such as cameras for later forensic analysis in the event of a fire. A greater understanding of the cause of a fire might be gained.
In a third aspect of the invention, a fire alarm system comprises: a control panel having a network hub, a display screen by which information is displayed to a user, a wireless access point for connection of wireless devices separate from the network; and a plurality of networked units connected together in one or more loops extending from the network hub of the control panel, wherein the networked units comprise a network port, a functional unit connected to the network port for network communication with the control panel, a camera having a field of view extending from the networked unit, and arranged to generate images, a camera controller arranged to control the operation of the camera and to manage its communication with the control panel, and a wireless port connected to the camera controller via which the images can be transmitted to the control panel separate from the network; wherein the control panel is arranged to be able to receive an image from the camera via the wireless access point.
Here, it is a great advantage to be able to convey images from the camera of networked units to the control panel via the wireless connections so as to avoid transmitting them through the network which might reduce the capacity of the network to handle the signalling of fire alarms. Thus the fire alarm system as a whole maintains greater integrity.
In one embodiment, the control panel is arranged to display an image from the camera, which would be of great assistance to a building manager who is able to see the image in his interaction with the control panel.
Advantageously, the control panel further comprises a camera having a field of view extending from the control panel, and arranged to generate images. Not only will this enable a record to be kept of anyone who operates or interferes with the control panel, but if the fire alarm system is connected to a remote monitoring station, the camera from the control panel will additionally provide images of the region around the control panel, in case there is a fire at that location.
Preferably, the control panel further comprises a data storage unit arranged to store data received from the cameras of the networked units. This permits images from the camera to be stored for later forensic analysis in the event of a fire, or images of anyone who operates or interferes with the control panel.
It is also advantageous if the control panel further comprises a directory of units of the fire alarm system and the location of cameras which are co-located with one or more of the units. The control panel may include a data transmitter for transmitting a camera control signal to a wireless device when a fire has been reported to the control panel by a co-located networked unit of the fire alarm system.
The wireless port of the networked unit may be arranged to receive the camera control signal and to pass into the camera controller.
In one embodiment, the camera is a thermal imaging camera. The use of such a camera is useful in a number of situations. Firstly, people and livestock are much more distinct in images from a thermal image camera because they stand out from their surroundings very greatly as a result of the difference in the heat. This can be very useful when trying to verify complete evacuation of a building. It is important not to put the lives of firefighters at risk by sending them into a burning building in which no one is present. Furthermore, when a fire is present, a camera relying on visible light becomes quickly overwhelmed by the presence of smoke, whereas a thermal imaging camera is better able to see through that smoke to identify the presence of people or livestock.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows a fire alarm system according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a front view of a call point according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a sectional side view of the call point of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a front view of a fire detector unit according to a second embodiment of the invention; and
Figure 5 is a sectional side view of the fire detector unit of Figure 4.
A fire alarm system 1 according to the present invention is shown in Figure 1, and includes a control panel 2 (often known as 'control and indicating equipment' CIE) and a number of networked units 3 of the fire alarm system 1 positioned on a network loop 4 extending from the control panel 2. Normally, a number of network loops extend from the control panel 2, but for simplicity, only a single complete loop 4 is shown. The loop 4 is addressable in that it permits commands and data to be passed in packets between the control panel 2 and the networked units 3. Each networked unit 3 has a unique identifier which permits the control panel 2 to send addressed packets to individual networked units 3. The networked units 3 are connected across a pair of wires in the addressable loop 4. Communication data passing between the control panel 2 and the networked units 3 is encoded in the form of modulated current pulses.
The control panel 2 includes a network hub 5 which supplies power to the loop 4 to give it an operational voltage applied across the wires of the loop 4. This supplies power to the networked units 3 to avoid the need for additional hardware by which they source their own power. The network hub 5 also acts as an interface between the loops 4 and the rest of the control panel 2.
The networked unit 3 can be any one of a number of different units of a fire detection system, such as fire detectors, call points, sounders, visual alarm devices (beacons), repeater units and other fire system ancillaries, such as input or output devices. Each of the networked units 3 include the following components, which are not shown in Figure 1, but which are shown in the two embodiments of the networked units described in more detail later in the specification: a housing; a network port; a functional unit connected to the network port for network communication; a camera having a field of view extending from the networked unit and arranged to generate images; a camera controller arranged to control the operation of the camera; and a wireless port connected to the camera controller via which the images can be transmitted from the networked unit.
The network port is present to permit the networked unit 3 to communicate with the control panel 2 via the loop 4. The functional unit is the part of the networked unit 3 which gives that unit its primary function. The functional unit might be a call point by which a person might signal that there is a fire by operating the call point, such as by pushing it to break the glass, or pulling a lever. The functional unit might be a sounder by which the fire alarm system 1 raises an alarm or issues instructions to people within a building. The functional unit might be a beacon by which the fire alarm system 1 raises an alarm visually by flashing a light to raise the alarm for people within a building. The functional unit might be a fire detector which operates to detect the presence of a fire, for example, by the detection of smoke or heat or gases of the type emitted by a fire. The functional unit might be a repeater unit which extends a loop 4 or which adds further loops off the loop 4 extending from the control panel 2.
It is important to understand that the camera of the networked unit 3 is provided in addition to the functional unit so that it operates separately.
The control panel 2 includes a number of conventional components, including a processor unit 6, a display screen 7, indicator lights 8 and a keypad 9. The display screen 7 indicator lights 8 and keypad 9 form a user interface by which a user operates the fire alarm system 1.
The control panel further includes a wireless access point 10, a data transmitter 11 which generates control signals for transmission by the wireless access point 10, a camera 12, data storage 13 and a directory 14. In other embodiments, the communication port is a cellular phone connection, such as 3G, 4G, or 4G USB, or is a wireless connection to a local wireless system.
The operation of the fire alarm system of figure 1 will be described below following the description of the two examples of networked units.
Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, a call point is shown, which is a first example of a networked unit 3 according to the present invention. The call point 20 includes a housing 21 with call point glass 22 forming its functional unit. Activation of the call point 20 is by breaking the call point glass 22 in order to send an alarm signal to the control panel 2. The call point 20 further includes a network port 23 by which it is connected to the loop 4. A camera 24 is located within the housing 21 facing out through an aperture in that housing so as to point directly outwards away from the front of the call point 20. A wireless port 25 is included to permit communication by different means than via the network port 23. A camera controller 26 is present and arranged to control the operation of the camera and to manage its communication. In this embodiment all of its communication is done via the wireless port 25. Camera control signals can be received, generally from the control panel 2, in order to control the operation of the camera. These control signals are received via the wireless port 25 and are passed from the camera controller 26 to the camera 24 via a control input 27. Images generated by the camera 24 are passed through the control input 27 and camera controller 26 to the wireless port 25 where they are transmitted, for example, to the control panel 2.
Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, a fire detector unit is shown, which is a second example of the networked unit 3 according to the present invention. The detector unit 30 includes a housing 31 with a smoke detector 32 forming the functional unit. If smoke is detected, the detector 32 will send an alarm signal to the control panel
2. The detector unit 30 further includes a network port 33 by which it is connected to the loop 4. A camera 34 is located within the housing 31, facing out through an aperture in that housing so as to point directly outwards away from the front of the detector unit 30. A wireless port 35 is included to permit communication by different means than via the network loop 4. A camera controller 36 is present and arranged to control the operation of the camera 34 and to manage its communication. In this embodiment, all of its communication is done via the wireless port 35. Camera control signals can be received, generally from the control panel 2, in order to control the operation of the camera 34. These control signals are received via the wireless port 35 and passed from the camera controller 36 to the camera 34 via a control input 37. Images generated by the camera 34 are passed through the control input 37 and camera controller 36 to the wireless port 35 where they are transmitted, for example, to the control panel 2. Although the fire detector 32 in this embodiment is a smoke detector, the fire detector could be any one of a number of different types of other detectors, such as a heat detector, a CO2 detector or the like.
Example 1:
Operation of the fire alarm system will now be described in relation to the fire detector unit 30.
In the event that the detector 30 detects smoke, the smoke detector 32 issues an alarm signal to the loop 4 via the network port 33 to the control panel 2. The control panel 2 receives the alarm signal at the network hub 5, which passes it on to the processor unit 6. The action taken by the control panel 2 will depend on the protocols programmed into the processor unit 6. In this example, the protocol says that, if a fire alarm signal is received from a detector, the building is to be evacuated immediately, but that there must be a visual verification of the information on the control panel by a person before the fire service is called. On the basis of this protocol, the processor unit 6 of the control panel 2 takes several actions. Firstly, it sends a signal to each of the sounders and beacons located within the building which is guarded by the fire alarm system 1 to cause them to raise the alarm in order to evacuate the building. Secondly, it causes the illumination of some of the indicator lights 8 on the control panel 2 so as to indicate the location of the detector 30 which has detected smoke. Thirdly, the processor unit 6 consults the directory 14 to identify the identity the address of the camera 34 that is co-located with the detector unit 30.
Once the camera 34 has been identified and its address identified, the processor unit 6 instructs the data transmitter 11 to send a camera control signal via the wireless access port 10 to the wireless port 35 located in the detector unit 30. This camera control signal calls for the camera 34 to supply images. The camera control signal is conveyed from the wireless port 35 to the camera 34 via the camera controller 36 and the control input 37.
On receipt of the camera control signal, the camera 34 will generate images and direct them to the camera controller 36 which conveys them to the wireless port 35 so that they are transmitted wirelessly to the wireless access point 10 of the control panel 2. On receipt of the images, the control panel 2 causes them to be displayed on the display screen 7. The images might be a series of individual images, or might be a moving image video, depending on the components used, and the wireless bandwidth available. The building manager is then able to observe the location of the fire detector 30 to make an assessment of the reported fire. If the building manager can see that a fire is present, he is then able to verify the fire so that the fire service can attend the building. It will be appreciated that the building manager can verify the fire within a few seconds of a fire being detected by the fire detector 32 since he does not have to walk to the location of the fire detector unit 30 to carry out that verification. This will minimise the delay in calling the fire service which will likely reduce the risk of injury to people within the building, and damage to the building by the fire. The image from the camera can be sent to data storage 13 where it forms a forensic evidence base.
It will be appreciated that the communications between the control panel 2 and the camera 34 all takes place away from the loop 4. This is an important characteristic of the invention because, at the time a fire is detected, the loop 4 becomes very congested with conveying data relating to the detected fire. It is a high priority to maintain the integrity of the loop 4 during this time, and loading it with images is likely to cause congestion and compromise the transfer of data through the loop network.
Of course, the control panel 2 could be programmed with a range of different protocols, many of which would benefit from the present invention. If the protocol involves deploying a fire suppression system, the present invention permits verification of the presence of a fire before deployment.
In the embodiment described above, a camera 34 is used which operates in the visual radiation range. Such a camera might be an 8 megapixel camera is capable of taking photographs of 3280x2464 pixels, such as a Sony IMX219 image sensor.
A thermal imaging camera can be used in which each individual pixel is calibrated to the heat detected at that point in the image. This kind of camera, such as the FLIR Lepton (RTM) 80 x 60 radiometric longwave infrared camera module, can be very useful where the building manager wants to identify the presence of people within the area guarded by the fire alarm system 1. If a building has been evacuated, the use of thermal imaging cameras in the networked units will allow the building manager to see, from the control panel, whether any people remain within the evacuated area because the heat from the body of any remaining people will be very prominent in the image from the thermal imaging camera, and because the thermal imaging camera is able to detect the heat of a person even through smoke that would obscure them with a normal visible camera. This has two immediate benefits. Firstly, if no people remain within an evacuated area, firefighters do not need to be sent into that area to verify that it is clear. Conversely, if a person is identified as still being present within the evacuated area, firefighters can enter the evacuated area, and can be directed to the location of the remaining person so that they can be evacuated quickly. Secondly, some fire suppression systems require complete evacuation of an area before being deployed, and the use of a thermal imaging camera can be used to ensure that the area is clear much more quickly than sending a person to make a visual verification. Thus the fire suppression system can be deployed much more promptly with the prospect of a much better outcome.
Example 2:
Operation of the fire alarm system will now be described in relation to the call point
20.
In the event that the call point 20 is activated by a person, the call point glass 22 issues an alarm signal to the loop 4 via the network port 23 to the control panel 2. The control panel 2 receives the alarm signal at the network hub 5, which passes it on to the processor unit 6. The action taken by the control panel 2 will depend on the protocols programmed into the processor unit 6. In this example, the protocol says that, if a fire alarm signal is received from a call point, the building is to be evacuated immediately, but that there must be a visual verification of the information on the control panel by a person before the fire service is called. On the basis of this protocol, the processor unit 6 of the control panel 2 takes several actions. Firstly, it sends a signal to each of the sounders and beacons located within the building which is guarded by the fire alarm system 1 to cause them to raise the alarm in order to evacuate the building. Secondly, it causes the illumination of some of the indicator lights 8 on the control panel 2 so as to indicate the location of the call point 20 which has detected smoke. Thirdly, the processor unit 6 consults the directory 14 to identify the identity the address of the camera 24 that is co-located with the call point 20.
Once the camera 24 has been identified and its address identified, the processor unit 6 instructs the data transmitter 11 to send a camera control signal via the wireless access port 10 to the wireless port 25 located in the call point 20. This camera control signal calls for the camera 24 to supply images. The camera control signal is conveyed from the wireless port 25 to the camera 24 via the camera controller 26 and the control input 27.
On receipt of the camera control signal, the camera 24 will generate images and direct them to the camera controller 26 which conveys them to the wireless port 25 so that they are transmitted wirelessly to the wireless access point 10 of the control panel 2. On receipt of the images, the control panel 2 causes them to be displayed on the display screen 7. The images might be a series of individual images, or might be a moving image video, depending on the components used, and the wireless bandwidth available. The building manager is then able to observe the location of the call point 20 to make an assessment of the reported fire. If the building manager can see that a fire is present, he is then able to verify the fire so that the fire service can attend the building. It will be appreciated that the building manager can verify the fire within a few seconds of a fire being indicated by a person since he does not have to walk to the location of the call point to carry out that verification. This will minimise the delay in calling the fire service which will likely reduce the risk of injury to people within the building, and damage to the building by the fire.
If the call point has been activated by a person maliciously or in error, the building manager will be able to see the person concerned. He may recognise the person, in which case further action can be taken, as necessary. The image from the camera can be sent to data storage 13 where it forms a forensic evidence base.
It will be appreciated that the communications between the control panel 2 and the camera 24 all takes place away from the loop 4. This is an important characteristic of the invention because, at the time a fire is signalled, the loop 4 becomes very congested with conveying data relating to the detected fire. It is a high priority to maintain the integrity of the loop 4 during this time, and loading it with images is likely to cause congestion and compromise the transfer of data through the loop network.
Of course, the control panel 2 could be programmed with a range of different protocols, many of which would benefit from the present invention. If the protocol involves deploying a fire suppression system, the present invention permits verification of the presence of a fire before deployment.
In the embodiment described above, a camera 24 is used which operates in the visual radiation range. Such a camera might be an 8 megapixel camera is capable of taking photographs of 3280x2464 pixels, such as a Sony IMX219 image sensor.
Athermal imaging camera can be used in which each individual pixel is calibrated to the heat detected at that point in the image. This kind of camera, such as the FLIR Lepton (RTM) 80 x 60 radiometric longwave infrared camera module, can be very useful where the building manager wants to identify the presence of people within the area guarded by the fire alarm system 1. If a building has been evacuated, the use of thermal imaging cameras in the networked units will allow the building manager to see, from the control panel, whether any people remain within the evacuated area because the heat from the body of any remaining people will be very prominent in the image from the thermal imaging camera, and because the thermal imaging camera is able to detect the heat of a person even through smoke that would obscure them with a normal visible camera. This has two immediate benefits. Firstly, if no people remain within an evacuated area, firefighters do not need to be sent into that area to verify that it is clear. Conversely, if a person is identified as still being present within the evacuated area, firefighters can enter the evacuated area, and can be directed to the location of the remaining person so that they can be evacuated quickly. Secondly, some fire suppression systems require complete evacuation of an area before being deployed, and the use of a thermal imaging camera can be used to ensure that the area is clear much more quickly than sending a person to make a visual verification. Thus the fire suppression system can be deployed much more promptly with the prospect of a much better outcome.
In the examples given above, camera is co-located with the device that has generated the fire alarm signal are identified in the directory 14. However, cameras from other networked units of the fire alarm system could also be located close to the networked units which has generated the fire alarm signal. In this situation, it is preferred that the directory 14 also contains the location of wireless devices which are located nearby the networked units that has generated the fire alarm signal.
1. Sensor/call point based visual verification
a. The processor controlling the camera runs an application developed by us that is bound to an IP port.
b. It is configured to access a variety of camera modules - both visual and thermal
c. The IP address is DHCP from a Wi-Fi network that can be either building owned or panel located.
d. The sensor application listens for connections from the panel.
e. If the panel determines that a fire event is present based on the sensor values the viewing element of the panel GUI software will determine the IP address of the sensor camera based on a configured list of zone points.
f. The panel opens a TCP/IP path to the camera and requests an image.
g. The image is captured and transmitted to the panel via IP datagrams.
h. The image is verified as being complete and displayed on the panel GUI
i. The panel repeats this request/gather/display sequence indefinitely
2. Automatic detection
a. Using the method of retrieving images as described in 1
b. During a fire alarm event the panel will request images from any thermal cameras in the local area of the event
c. Determination of humans/livestock etc. will be based upon the thermal data in the image and processed on the fire panel
d. The thermal data will be used to detect points of interest in the appropriate temperature range, e.g. human body temp
e. Should there be positive indications this will be displayed on the fire panel GUI or other screen to indicate areas of immediate assistance for the fire brigade
Claims (22)
1. A networked unit of a fire alarm system comprising:
a housing;
a network port;
a functional unit connected to the network port for network communication; and a camera having a field of view extending from the networked unit, and arranged to generate images.
2. A networked unit according to claim 1, further comprising a camera controller arranged to control the operation of the camera and to manage its communication.
3. A networked unit according to claim 2, wherein the camera controller includes a control input for receiving camera control signals.
4. A networked unit according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a wireless port connected to the camera controller via which the images can be transmitted from the networked unit, transmission via the wireless port being separate from the network communication.
5. A networked unit according to claim 4, wherein the wireless port is arranged to receive the camera control signals, and to pass them to the camera controller.
6. A networked unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the camera is a thermal imaging camera.
7. A networked unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the functional unit is any one of:
a call point;
a sounder;
a beacon;
a control panel;
a repeater unit; and a fire detector.
8. A control panel of a fire alarm system comprising:
a network hub from which units of a fire alarm system are connected in a network;
a keypad by which a user can communicate with the panel;
indicating lights by which the control panel displays status information;
a display screen by which information is displayed to a user; and a communication port for connection of devices separate from the network.
9. A control panel according to claim 8, wherein the communication port is a wireless access point for connection of wireless devices separate from the network.
10. A control panel according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising a camera having a field of view extending from the control panel, and arranged to generate images.
11. A control panel according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising a data storage unit arranged to store data received from connected wireless devices.
12. A control panel according to any one of claims 8 to 11, further comprising a directory of units of the fire alarm system and the location of wireless devices which are co-located with one or more of the units.
13. A control panel according to claim 12, further comprising a data transmitter for transmitting a control signal to a wireless device when a fire has been reported to the control panel by a co-located networked unit of the fire alarm system.
14. A fire alarm system comprising:
a control panel having a network hub, a display screen by which information is displayed to a user, a wireless access point for connection of wireless devices separate from the network; and a plurality of networked units connected together in one or more loops extending from the network hub of the control panel, wherein the networked units comprise a network port, a functional unit connected to the network port for network communication with the control panel, a camera having a field of view extending from the networked unit, and arranged to generate images, a camera controller arranged to control the operation of the camera and to manage its communication with the control panel, and a wireless port connected to the camera controller via which the images can be transmitted to the control panel separate from the network;
wherein the control panel is arranged to be able to receive an image from the camera via the wireless access point.
15. A fire alarm system according to claim 14, wherein the control panel is arranged to display an image from the camera.
16. A fire alarm system according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the control panel further comprises a camera having a field of view extending from the control panel, and arranged to generate images.
17. A fire alarm system according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the control panel further comprises a data storage unit arranged to store data received from the cameras of the networked units.
18. A fire alarm system according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the control panel further comprises a directory of units of the fire alarm system and the location of cameras which are co-located with one or more of the units.
19. A fire alarm system according to claim 18, wherein the control panel further comprising a data transmitter for transmitting a camera control signal to a wireless device when a fire has been reported to the control panel by a co-located networked unit of the fire alarm system.
20. A fire alarm system according to claim 19, wherein the wireless port of the networked unit is arranged to receive the camera control signal, and to pass it to the camera controller.
21. A fire alarm system according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the camera is a thermal imaging camera.
22. A fire alarm system according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the functional unit is any one of:
a call point;
a sounder;
a beacon;
a control panel; a repeater; and a fire detector.
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1808328.7A GB2574010A (en) | 2018-05-21 | 2018-05-21 | Fire alarm verification |
| PCT/EP2019/062849 WO2019224122A1 (en) | 2018-05-21 | 2019-05-17 | Fire alarm verification |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1808328.7A GB2574010A (en) | 2018-05-21 | 2018-05-21 | Fire alarm verification |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB201808328D0 GB201808328D0 (en) | 2018-07-11 |
| GB2574010A true GB2574010A (en) | 2019-11-27 |
Family
ID=62812482
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB1808328.7A Withdrawn GB2574010A (en) | 2018-05-21 | 2018-05-21 | Fire alarm verification |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2574010A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2019224122A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES3023838T3 (en) | 2022-12-23 | 2025-06-03 | Bucher Automation Tettnang Gmbh | Method for detecting fires in production machines and production machine |
| US12431009B2 (en) | 2023-08-02 | 2025-09-30 | Honeywell International Inc. | Integrated, interdependent system for verifying fire alarms |
Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20030058109A1 (en) * | 2001-09-24 | 2003-03-27 | Costa Hilario S. | Emergency alarm system using pull-station with camera |
| US20100102957A1 (en) * | 2008-10-29 | 2010-04-29 | Dei Holdings, Inc. | Monitoring Device With Network Connection and Security Component |
| US20130242091A1 (en) * | 2012-03-19 | 2013-09-19 | Dong Kwon Park | Method for sensing fire and transferring fire information |
| US20160021308A1 (en) * | 2014-07-17 | 2016-01-21 | Dmitry Kozko | Integrating a 360 degree panoramic camera within a fire pull station |
| CN205862511U (en) * | 2016-08-04 | 2017-01-04 | 吴月珍 | A kind of wireless controlled standard fire protection warning device of band camera function |
Family Cites Families (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP3264378B1 (en) * | 2016-06-29 | 2021-12-15 | Ontech Security SL | Device, system and method for detection of emergencies |
-
2018
- 2018-05-21 GB GB1808328.7A patent/GB2574010A/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2019
- 2019-05-17 WO PCT/EP2019/062849 patent/WO2019224122A1/en not_active Ceased
Patent Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20030058109A1 (en) * | 2001-09-24 | 2003-03-27 | Costa Hilario S. | Emergency alarm system using pull-station with camera |
| US20100102957A1 (en) * | 2008-10-29 | 2010-04-29 | Dei Holdings, Inc. | Monitoring Device With Network Connection and Security Component |
| US20130242091A1 (en) * | 2012-03-19 | 2013-09-19 | Dong Kwon Park | Method for sensing fire and transferring fire information |
| US20160021308A1 (en) * | 2014-07-17 | 2016-01-21 | Dmitry Kozko | Integrating a 360 degree panoramic camera within a fire pull station |
| CN205862511U (en) * | 2016-08-04 | 2017-01-04 | 吴月珍 | A kind of wireless controlled standard fire protection warning device of band camera function |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB201808328D0 (en) | 2018-07-11 |
| WO2019224122A1 (en) | 2019-11-28 |
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