Description

The idea is to implement a sort of sensor fusion system for fire risk estimation and awareness creation on fire risk and for triggering a proper and fast respond. System enables prevention- giving warning on dust, sparks, and heat (like weather information but now for fire) and alarm triggering and activating firefighting device. System operates in a form of a distributed devices that are strategically placed to detect and fight fire. The main sensors in a system are a low cost heat and sparkle detection sensor that are strategically placed on different places, accompanied with a dust sensors that is used for a risk estimation. Fire extinguishing unit is small canister with self-propelled nozzle that is solenoid activated and that operates as autonomous or remotely controlled unit and also can be picked up and used as portable manual extinguisher. Since textile industry can be seen as crowded and busy space with a lot of people and material in the process, there is many object that interrupt a line of sight between a heat source and a sensor. Similar situation is for a warehouses, they use shelves, racks, trolleys and they also are obstacles that can block/delay detection allowing fire to develop. Also, storage objects and materials can reduce effectiveness of fire sprinklers providing relative cover for fire. Combination of heat, sparkle and dust sensors with small size fire extinguishing unit that can be easily installed on shelves, racks, walls, ceiling, cabinets and even machines eliminates the obstacle problem in detection and using distributed automated extinguishers of small size allows for easy and quick access to hard to reach places that could be even covered/protected from a ceiling sprinkle system. Distributed sensors and extinguisher create a smart firefighting environment enabling automated protection, fire hazard monitoring, data collection, warning on possible problem and alarm triggering, and a fast local fire respond when fire is detected. System activate fire extinguishers (solenoid) when this is needed and only those extinguisher that are needed are activated. System can operate as main firefighting system or as complementary system for hard to reach places or places that deserve special attention. System can be battery operated allowing to be used with install and forget philosophy. Exception is dust sensors that use more power, but they are to be installed separately (and also in a smaller number than heat sensors) and can be powered from a network. Fire is to be detected in a starting phase, extinguisher that have detected a flame or amber (heat, or scan for heat after spark is detected) in his range will “fire” on fire with fire extinguishing fluid. Fire extinguishing fluid type to be used depends on the expected fire type. For textile industry a water mist of de- non-conductive water appears to be a good candidate since is safe on live electrical equipment of up to 1000V: 35kV and can be used effectively on a common flammables. Since fire can be attacked in initial phase and fire extinguishing action is local and water mist is effective and quick, the overall disturbance is minimal, and no water damage is created on protected goods. Small fire extinguisher is used (some of commercially offered solutions with water mist have less than 1l and water mist in this devices achieve effective range up to 3m). This action is always reported. Distributed sensors can collect data on fire development for fire investigation and insurance claim purposes but also for improving knowledge on fire safety, and fire extinguisher since being of small size, lightweight and cylindrical in shape, can be picked up by hand from their installation points and used as ordinary fire extinguisher (this feature can help save lives since more people will be equipped to fight fire). Sensors and extinguishers can be placed together or separately. They are responsible for thy own local zones (area of reach around instalment place) and they are a part of system information/command exchange. The spraying nozzle is self-propelled creating optimal spraying pattern for firefighting (for example, creating effect like is recommended to move a stream when fire is manually putted out), as solution this is similar to self-propelled nozzles used in agriculture for pesticide spread, particles size and drift control). Also, self-propelled as degree of freedom can be simply locked for manual use and solenoids action also can be enabled using mechanical trigger. Heat sensor is used to detect fire in a vicinity of sensor, they are range limited sensors by the nature of heat radiation and as such they are placed on fire extinguishing unit. Spark sensor even that they are similar in construction to heat sensors have a larger sensitivity in NIR spectra and can detect a spark over a greater distance and as such they can be placed separately from extinguisher on places where spark is expected and can be easily and reliably detected (this includes a cigarettes detection). For example one spark sensor on a ceiling can monitor even an entire room, light in their detection spectra reflects from surfaces in all directions and is possible to cover a large room with small number of sensors even if there are interruptions in LOS. This small sensors also can be installed in closed spaces like electrical cabinets when no light can escape the box. Heat and spark sensors are low cost sensors, and dust sensors are more expensive, however since they are used only to indicate the change in dust concentration (or dust development) a low cost versions of dust sensor (optical particle counter), like those used in animal farms with price tag from 10-50 USD can be installed as risk monitoring measure on different positions. All data are collected using Wi-Fi, or using any other IoT platform that can be provided. Safety officer (or whoever is in charge for safety) can receive warnings and situation informations. Local alarms (sound and light) also can be enabled – like using a low cost beepers and LEDs installed on extinguisher unit, also can be used as reminder on extinguisher existence and to find them more easily in fire situation (it is easy to forget where they are). Collected data also can be sent to interested parties (this data collection make this a productive data capital platform and not just a firefighting system). Easy to install, no construction work, no interruptions in production. Extinguisher and sensors are simply placed on selected positions using simple fastening technique or mounting system. No special aiming and fire location calculations are needed, quick respond using solenoids, self-propelled nozzle, water mist, no damage to materials, nontoxic, quick respond, low energy demand-battery operated sensors, and small number of dust sensor that require network supply, adjustable behavior, selecting level of autonomy and respond mode- responding according to safety officer command or controller programed instructions only, or acting in independent mode based only on a local sensor information (there is low risk of creating damage with water mist- so autonomy in behavior, as more paranoiac mode, can be allowed). If no signal from controller is present system will move to autonomous mode, this contributes to robustness in case of control or communication failure.

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