Sensing system for fire event detection
Systems, methods, and devices of providing a sensing system for fire event detection in a space within a facility are described herein. One method, includes activating a physical sensor of a physical alarm system detector device to monitor a space of a facility for a fire event to occur, defining a virtual voxel structure mapped in at least three dimensions to a virtual monitored space created to represent the space of the facility being monitored, and locating a virtual object within the virtual voxel structure by mapping a virtual object location based on sensing a location of a physical object with the physical sensor within the space.
1 . A method, comprising:
activating a first physical sensor of a physical alarm system master detector device to monitor a space of a facility for a fire event to occur from a first angle, wherein the first physical sensor is a light detection and ranging technology (LiDAR) system component configured to detect back-scatter from smoke;
activating a second physical sensor of another physical alarm system detector device to monitor the space of the facility for the fire event to occur from a second angle, wherein the second physical sensor is a receiving video sensor configured to detect smoke plumes or flames;
activating a third physical sensor of either of the master detector device or the other physical alarm system detector device, wherein the third physical sensor includes a gated video sensor component having a pulsed illuminator with an optical shutter;
activating a fourth physical sensor of either of the master detector device or the other physical alarm system detector device, wherein the fourth physical sensor includes a thermography component configured to detect a temperature of a physical object;
defining a virtual voxel structure mapped in at least three dimensions to a virtual monitored space created to represent the space of the facility being monitored based on inputs received from both of the master detector device and the other physical alarm system detector device, wherein the virtual voxel structure includes a plurality of adjacent cube-shaped voxels;
locating a virtual object and identifying at least one of the plurality of voxels affected by the virtual object within the virtual voxel structure by mapping a virtual object location based on sensing a location of the physical object with the first physical sensor, the second physical sensor, the third physical sensor, and the fourth physical sensor within the space; and
transmitting the virtual voxel structure and the virtual object location as a voxel array data set to a monitoring station of a separate alarm system for interpretation.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes monitoring the space over time and adjusting the location of the virtual object based on a sensed change in the location of the physical object.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each voxel is described by its location in three dimensions as well as having a dimension of time.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the time dimension is quantified by a time at which voxel data for a particular voxel is sensed by the first physical sensor.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes coordinating a pulse light round trip time from the pulsed illuminator with an activation of the optical shutter in the gated video sensor component.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, receiving data from a structured light triangulation system component that detects back-scatter from smoke.
7 . An alarm system, comprising:
a number of physical alarm system detector devices having a number of sensors configured to detect an event within a facility, including a first physical sensor of a first physical alarm detector device at a first angle with respect to the facility, a second physical sensor of a second physical alarm detector device at a second angle with respect to the facility, a third physical sensor and a fourth physical sensor of either the first or second physical alarm device, wherein:
the first physical sensor is a light detection and ranging technology (LiDAR) system component configured to detect back-scatter from smoke;
the second physical sensor is a receiving video sensor configured to detect smoke plumes or flames;
the third physical sensor includes a gated video sensor component having a pulsed illuminator with an optical shutter;
the fourth physical sensor includes a thermography component configured to detect a temperature of a physical object; and
an alarm system control panel including a first processor and a first memory, the first memory having instructions executable by the first processor stored therein, wherein the instructions are executable to receive information about the event or alarm system detector devices and transmit the information to a computing device;
wherein the computing device includes a second processor and a second memory, the second memory having instructions executable by the second processor stored therein, wherein the instructions are executable to:
activate the first, second, third, and fourth physical sensors to monitor a space of a facility for a fire event to occur;
define a virtual voxel structure mapped in at least three dimensions to a virtual monitored space created to represent the space of the facility being monitored based on inputs received from both of the first and second physical alarm detector devices, wherein the virtual voxel structure includes a plurality of adjacent cube-shaped voxels;
locate a virtual object and identify at least one of the plurality of voxels affected by the virtual object within the virtual voxel structure by mapping a virtual object location based on sensing a location of the physical object with the first physical sensor, the second physical sensor, the third physical sensor, and the fourth physical sensor within the space; and
transmit the virtual voxel structure and the virtual object location as a voxel array data set to a monitoring station of a separate alarm system for interpretation.
8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the LiDAR system component measures a distance from the LiDAR system component to the object.
9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the system includes a pulsed illuminator and wherein the pulsed illuminator is used in conjunction with the gated video sensor component so that a coordination of a pulse light round trip time with an activation of an optical shutter in a receiving video sensor is accomplished.
10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the system includes a pulsed illuminator.
11 . An alarm system computing device, comprising:
a processor and memory, the memory having instructions executable by the processor stored therein, wherein the instructions are executable to:
receive monitoring data from an activated first physical sensor of a first physical alarm system detector device to monitor a space of a facility for a fire event to occur from a first angle;
receive monitoring data from an activated second physical sensor of a second physical alarm system detector device to monitor the space of the facility for the fire event to occur from a second angle;
receive monitoring data from an activated third physical sensor of either of the first physical alarm system detector device or the second physical alarm system detector device, wherein the third physical sensor includes a gated video sensor component having a pulsed illuminator with an optical shutter;
receive monitoring data from an activated fourth physical sensor of either of the first physical alarm system detector device or the second physical alarm system detector device, wherein the fourth physical sensor includes a thermography component configured to detect a temperature of a physical object;
define a virtual voxel structure mapped in at least three dimensions to a virtual monitored space created to represent the space of the facility being monitored based on inputs received from both of the first physical alarm system detector device and the second physical alarm system detector device, wherein the virtual voxel structure includes a plurality of adjacent cube-shaped voxels;
locate a virtual object and identify at least one of the plurality of voxels affected by the virtual object within the virtual voxel structure by mapping a virtual object location based on sensing a location of the physical object with the first physical sensor, the second physical sensor, the third physical sensor, and the fourth physical sensor within the space; and
transmit the virtual voxel structure and the virtual object location as a voxel array data set to a monitoring station of a separate alarm system for interpretation.
12 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the executable instructions include instructions to reduce a size of an occluded area associated with a particular object in the space by utilizing sensor data from multiple sensors place in at least two locations that are different with respect to the object.
13 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the monitoring data includes a background surface that contrasts with the object in a foreground of the background surface.