Fire alarm system with video surveillance

April 2001 Sensors & Transducers

A large tobacco plant in Taiwan uses Advantech's ADAM-4050 digital I/O module for their fire alarm system. The tobacco plant consists of nine buildings that are up to 200 m apart, and as the dried tobacco leaves are highly inflammable, the plant requires a 24 h fire alarm system. Originally, each building had a separate fire alarm system with several heat sensors, making it difficult to monitor after working hours as security personnel had to individually visit each building. To increase safety, the manufacturer decided to install a new system that could cover all buildings and could be centrally monitored. The solution was to install an RS485 network with ADAM modules which had the ability to read sensor data and also transmit the data to a central security room.

The fire sensors are simple on/off switches connected to the ADAM-4050. A host PC constantly reads data from the ADAM-4050 to monitor the status of the sensors. It then sends signals back to the ADAM module, which controls LEDs on status displays in a security room. If a fire should occur, the map shows its exact location. The manufacturer plans to expand the system to include a video monitoring system controlled by the ADAM-4050. If a sensor indicates that a fire has started, the modules will switch on a video camera in the location and the security guard can check if a false alarm has occurred.

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