| US 7,541,938 B1 | ||
| Optical flame detection system and method | ||
| Darell Eugene Engelhaupt, 84 Jay St., Madison, Ala. 35758 (US) | ||
| Filed on Mar. 29, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/729,653. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/787032, filed on Mar. 29, 2006. | ||
| Int. Cl. G08B 17/12 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 340—578 [340/577; 340/600; 250/554; 250/339.13] | 10 Claims |
| 1. An enhanced flame detector for detecting flame in environments where the sun may come within a field of view of the enhanced
flame detector, comprising:
an optical detector sensitive to the ultraviolet C range and insensitive to ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B; and
a concentrator for collecting energy from a flame and directing said energy to said optical detector, said concentrator having
a reflecting surface that is reflective for ultraviolet C, said concentrator providing a concentration ratio greater than
1;
wherein the concentrator is a non-imaging concentrator having an axis of symmetry of said concentrator, and the detector is
substantially cylindrical with a cylindrical axis of symmetry, said detector receiving said energy from said flame through
a side of said detector, said side parallel to said cylindrical axis of symmetry, and said concentrator spreads said energy
across at least one dimension of said optical detector so that heating from the sun is spread across said at least one dimension
of said optical detector when the sun is within said field of view of said enhanced flame detector.
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