Infrared overheat and fire detection system

A system for detecting an overheat condition and fires in the cargo bay of an aircraft comprises a control unit (22,24) attached to the aircraft; and a plurality of thermal imaging modules (31-40) coupled to said control unit (22,24) and positioned in direct view of cargo containers (230-237) in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors PARSONS, MICHAEL L, HUTCHINS, PETER L, TSENG, YEONG-JENG
Format Patent
LanguageEnglish
French
German
Published 16.10.1991
Subjects
ALARM SYSTEMS
ORDER TELEGRAPHS
PHYSICS
SIGNALLING
SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS
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Summary:A system for detecting an overheat condition and fires in the cargo bay of an aircraft comprises a control unit (22,24) attached to the aircraft; and a plurality of thermal imaging modules (31-40) coupled to said control unit (22,24) and positioned in direct view of cargo containers (230-237) in the cargo bay. The thermal imaging modules (32-40) have an infrared detector (100) for sensing an overheat condition on the outside of cargo bay containers (230-237) indicating a fire within said containers (230-237) and outputting a signal to the control unit (22,24), the thermal imaging modules (31-40) being sized and positioned in the cargo bay (50) so as to not interfere with the loading and unloading of the bay (50). Preferably, the system comprises plural control units (22,24) which execute routines to monitor and test their operational status and that of each thermal imaging module (31-40). The control units (22,24) are connected to the aircraft electronics to indicate the location of an overheat condition or any malfunctioning control units and thermal imaging modules. The thermal imaging modules (31-40) include an infrared detector (110), a rotating optical assembly (90,92,94,104,114), threshold circuitry and a motor (96). The optical assembly is rotated by the motor to give the detector with a conical field of view. The optical assembly focuses the radiation in the cargo bay (50) on the infrared detector. If the infrared detector (110) measures a radiation level equal or greater than that of a fire, the threshold circuitry outputs an overheat signal to the control unit (22,24). The thermal imaging module (31-40) also includes a thermal switch that will trigger an overheat signal if the temperature of the module itself is above a specified temperature.
Bibliography:Application Number: EP19910303054