Website Layout Designs

Design 1

Design 2

Website Layouts designed by James Howe (image for design 2 taken from poster design and edited by James Howe)

LED Background Research

Hongyuan Industrial Limited
After contacting a company from China (Hongyuan Lighting) who specialised in LED light strips, I was given a full price list of all of the various types of LED light strips they sold across the globe. The company also sells light controllers (3 different types) which can alternate the types of colours automatically and manually. Although the range of colours would be limited to the LED light strip and how many colours are implemented within the strip.

A list of their products can be found at their website:

http://www.hongyuanlamp.com/Products.html

I have also received a full price list of their products downloadble here:

http://its.hip.googlepages.com/LED_Price_Lists.zip

These types of lights produced in China have a running time of 11 years without a battery needed to be changed, and they can also run from a main power supply. So if there was a real fire that caused the mains to be disconnected from the emergency LED light strips, they would still work due to the long life of the batteries with each light strip.

Types available that could have been implement into our intergrated fire escape guidance system could have ranged from the flexible light strips, through to thick coated, non-flexible and waterproof types of LED light strip. Some of these technologies can be combined together at the manufacturer's for an extra fee though.

A video explainning the various types of lights, including a talk about heat resistance, battery life, flexibility, length etc: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/331704/led_strip_lights/

Current technologies that are being used within companies at the moment are these type of fire exit signs with incorperated LED lights, however these are often not bright enough to see in extremely smokey rooms; espcially when compared to the likes of an LED light strip.


This fire exit sign in particular is used within hotels, corridors, shopping centres, musuems etc but can only be placed inside, and only in places where it can fit. This product (produced by Safelinks Ltd) had to be redesigned by the company as the original design didn't seem easily placed within small rooms/corridors etc. This type of technology has the following statistics:

Now when compared to a flexible LED light strip statistics the LED light strip has the following:

• Output - 120 Lumens (6100mcd/120*)
• Size - 1000x10x1mm
• View Angle - 120 Degrees
• LEDs - 60 per half metre
• Volt - 12V
• Battery Duration - 11 years

So from this we can determine that the LED light strips produce a lot more light (which of course means more lighting and vision for people trying to escape the building), it will be able to be viewed at any angle once the light strip has been embedded into the floor/wall.

Heat Sensors

Chip: MCP9801

Pricing information*

Part Number	Leads	Package Type	Temp Range	1-25	26-99	100+	1000-4999	5000+
MCP9801-M/MS	8	MSOP	-55C to +125C	1.12	0.93	0.85	0.82	0.81

*from http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/Devices.aspx?dDocName=en020950, prices are in USD ($)

±1°C Accuracy from -10°C to +85°C

±2°C Accuracy from +85°C to +125°C

Key:

MSOP: Mini Small-Outline Package - a method of packing the sensors to save board space

Alternate Options

Near-IR radiation: http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/fire96/PDF/f96140.pdf
By measuring the radiation emmisions it is possible to detect a fire. This method could significantly lower false detection rates, but not yet approved standard.

Proposed system

Multiple temperature sensors in each room of the buliding would send a current temperature reading back to the control system. Any consistent, significant, sudden raise of temperature would trigger the system's fire alarm. By comparing the output of multiple sensors in one room, the system could detect malfunction in any one sensor to both simultaneously increase real detection rates and decrease false detection.

System Prototype

The prototype is now complete.

Features
Map of a subsection of Armstrong-Siddeley building
Virtual models of:
- Heat sensors
- Guidance lights
- Fires

Usefulness
The prototype can be used:
a) as a visual demonstration of how the system would work
b) as a starting point for a full system. Although the sensors and lights are modelled virtually, they could easily be replaced with real sensors; the system polls the sensors repetitively (asking for a temperature) at a certain interval.

Screenshots

Before a fireDuring a fire; the fire is represented by a red circle. Exits are represented by the larger green circles whilst the pairs of smaller green circles move towards the exits.

Try it
The prototype relies on python with pygame. To try it, extract and run 'main.py' in python.
prototype.zip

Poster Design

Created in Inkscape -- feel free to suggest/make changes. Text/icons by Vijay.

Lights

The lights that are going to be used are coloured red and green, where red means stop and green means go. For example if the Heat Sensor picked up a fire emerging by the stairs, the light next to it would turn red and so that the people escaping know not to go that way. The other lights placed around the building where it is safe would turn green to show the way to the nearest and safest exit. Blind people will have to listen out for the Broadband Sound to guide them out of the building, or have their helper with them. They also have the ability to turn white and act as normal lights, and be neutral in the Fire Escape System.

The red and green stop/go standards won't be confused because it's a nationwide understanding that red equals danger and green generally means safety. It won't work in some other countries because the colours have different meanings to the people there (for example in China, red is considered lucky)

Metacafe Video showing examples of the lights: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/331704/led_strip_lights/

The lights are made of LED strips and they contain lots of mini-bulbs in them. They are quite cheap, sturdy and are easily replaced if broken.

Specifications:

- Colours: Red, Green and White (can turn into other colours but not needed)
- Size: 18x11mm wide, 72 LED's in a Metre strip
- Power Consumption: 4.3W
- Viewing Angle: 120 Degrees
- Light Intensity: 130 Lumens
- Volt Usage: 12VDC

(Order in bulk to cover the whole building)

The lights are placed near where the rest of the system's components are placed so that it can all work together. For example the Broadband Sound and the Sensors will be placed on the walls, so the lights must be wired to these and the server room so that when sensors detect a fire they will change colour accordingly. They must also be placed high up so they can be noticed by everyone when they are escaping the building.

System Integration

FIRE DETECTION SYSTEM

The fire detection system is a PC based graphical facilities monitoring system.
The system employs an advanced technology network to monitor and control various fire alarms, sensors, card access and other facility information over a network.



research was carried out by Vijay and Steven

The system includes an interface to card access systems for Access Control System monitoring.
The system provides E-Mail functions capability to send system information via an email server to an email account.

The network will interface and report the individually monitored system’s status via a user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) based software workstation
The GUI based software must be capable of graphically representing each facility being monitored with floor plans and icons depicting the actual locations of the various systems; and or sensors’ locations as well as view the system events in text mode.

The software shall use a 1280 pixels X 1024 pixels GUI display capable of showing a large primary floor plan display, a key map representative of a larger view of the primary display and its relationship to the facility being monitored, the current operator, number of fire, supervisory, pre-alarms, troubles, and security events within the network as well as outstanding events and acknowledged events.

The workstation software will, automatic navigation to the screen containing an icon that represents the system or sensor in the event of a fire condition. Alarm Monitoring, the system will provide for continuous monitoring of all off-normal conditions regardless of the current activity displayed on the screen.