A Guide to Open-Area Smoke Imaging Detection

If you’re looking for the ideal fire protection equipment for your business, you may have come across Open-area Smoke Imaging Detection (OSID) systems that are perfect for buildings such as hospitals, hotels, shopping centres, stadiums, airports, warehouses and entertainment venues.

Fire safety has come a long way in the past century and it is always adapting. We are constantly discovering new methods of fire and smoke detection, seeking to improve safety across the board. OSID uses advanced dual-wavelength projected beams and optical imaging technology for early warning smoke detection. They are a low cost, reliable and easy-to-install solution that overcomes typical beam detection issues like false alarm incidents and alignment difficulties.

Here’s everything you need to know about Open-area Smoke Imaging Detection.

How do they work?

OSID systems use light projection to measure the amount of smoke entering the beams of light. One layer of OSID can detect up to seven emitters to provide a wide coverage area. Innovations for the revolutionary OSID smoke detector include:

-      Dual-wavelength particle detection

Each emitter projects a beam that contains a unique sequence of ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) pulses that are synchronised with the imager and enable the rejection of any unwanted light sources. The system uses the two wavelengths of light to detect particles and distinguish between particle sizes. The longer IR wavelength is affected by larger particles, whereas the shorter wavelength interacts with both small and large particles. This means the system can detect repeatable smoke obscuration measurements while simultaneously rejecting the presence of dust particles or other intruding objects.



-      Optical Imaging with a CMOS imaging chip

An optical imaging array in the OSID imager provides the detector with a wide viewing angle to track emitters. As a result, the detector can handle a much less precise installation and can compensate for the natural shifts in building structures. To offer new levels of stability and sensitivity, the system uses optical filtering, high-speed image acquisition and intelligent software algorithms.

How are they installed?

You can contact a professional fire detection company to install and maintain your OSID system. The system consists of up to seven emitters and the 90° Imager unit will be installed along the perimeter of the protected area with an imager mounted opposite. These components can be mounted directly to the surface or secured with mounting brackets.

Alignment of the emitter is achieved by the use of a laser alignment tool to rotate the optical spheres until the laser beam projected is close to the imager.

If you’re looking for installation and maintenance of an OSID system, look no further than Thameside Fire Protection. We are a family run business that has been operating since 1985 and is one of the largest independent fire protection companies in the United Kingdom. We can provide everything from fire risk assessments to fire safety training as well as the complete design, supply. Installation and servicing of fire detection or suppression systems. Visit our website for more information.