Beam Detector
End to End, Reflexive and Motorized Beam DetectorUnlike traditional detection systems, Beam Detectors were designed for spacious rooms, open areas, and high ceilings; their innovative features make them popular choices for spaces like warehouses, atriums, arenas, and churches. With only one device to install and align, these single-ended optical beam solutions save you time and money on open-area and high-ceiling applications.
Beam detectors can be important components of a well designed automatic fire alarm system. Because of their capabilities, beam detectors can overcome some of the limitations of spot-type smoke detectors.
Beam detectors consist of at least one light transmitter and one receiver, which is photosensitive. The photosensitive receiver monitors light produced by the transmitter under normal conditions. In the absence of smoke, light passes from the light transmitter to the receiver in a straight line. In a fire, when smoke falls within the path of the beam detector, some of the light is absorbed or scattered by the smoke particles. This creates a decrease in the received signal, leading to an increase in optical obscuration i.e. transmittance of light across the beam path.
An end-to-end optical beam smoke detector is a system that has a separate light transmitter and receiver. They are used in applications where there is little available room to install a wide area detector – as the receiver is on a separate element each individual unit is quite small. The small size of the detector is also an advantage for aesthetic installations, where fire protection is required without introducing unsightly or overtly modern devices.
Reflective
A reflective optical beam smoke detector incorporates a light transmitter and the detector on the same unit. The light path is created by reflecting light emitted from the transmitter off a retro reflector that is placed opposite the detector.
Motorized
A motorized optical beam smoke detector automatically aligns itself during installation and can compensate for alignment ‘drift’ i.e. where the optical path of the light beam changes over time Both end-to-end systems and reflective systems can be motorized.
