Sensor Calibration
After deployment, sensors require 14 days to calibrate before ready to detect fires.
Sensors require 14 days after deployment to be calibrated to the environment. During this time the sensor does not detect smoldering fires.
After sensor interactions, the sensor requires at least 5 days to return to steady-state.
Initial calibration period (14 days)
When a sensor is delivered to the user, it is ready to be deployed, charged up and calibrated. No additional settings need to be made to the device.
1 day to charge sensors
1 day is required to fully charge the supercapacitors. Once charged, the sensor’s solar panel continuously charges the supercapacitors, except of course during the night. Power supply is stored in supercapacitors rather than rechargeable batteries as rechargeable batteries can potentially ignite. Consequently, using batteries would defeat the purpose of a wildfire detection system.
14 days to calibration sensors
After the Wildfire sensor has been fully charged, the sensor begins a 14-day initial calibration. Once deployed, the Wildfire Sensor runs a calibration to determine a value for normal air in the deployment environment. This is critical for allowing the sensor to detect a smoldering fire. During this period, the sensor may send false fire alerts, even after a month after deployment. After this "settling in" period, the internal gas sensor environmental readings have stabilized to an optimal level of sensitivity and ready to detect fires.
After calibration, the sensor is active and ready.
A smoldering fire is defined to be a slow, flameless combustion of a biomass material such as forest floor material, branches, leaves, and so on.
Sensor normalization
Sensors require some time to normalize depending on the type of activity it has encountered.
30 to 60 minutes after gas scans
After a sensor runs gas scans to test air quality, the sensor needs no more than 30-60 minutes to be ready to detect fires.
If the Bosch gas sensor performs gas scans, the sensor needs to return to normal values (baseline IAQ) before it can perform another valid gas scan. However, the sensor may continue to run gas scans afterwards due to a continuous decline in air quality. As soon as the sensor is no longer running gas scans, the sensor begins to stabilize and return to normal values.
This stabilization period allows for the dissipation of any smoke retained inside the sensor mesh (a small pot with a mesh cover used by the gas sensor). Ideally, the longer the wait, the more time the smoke has to dissipate. While the sensor is resetting, it does not measure any changes to the environment.
5 days to recalibrate after interactions
Any interactions with the Wildfire sensor cause a complete recalibration, which takes at least 5 days for the sensor to be ready to detect fires.
Interacting with sensors can include:
Touching the sensors, such as adjusting the angle of the sensor or attempting to pull it off from a tree
Moving the sensors to another tree or redeploying the sensor on the tree
Being in proximity to the sensors such as breathing on the sensor
Exhaust from vehicles (especially diesel trucks) near the sensors
Bringing any source of VOCs near the sensor such as cigarettes or machinery
Interactions are bringing any source nearby the sensors that could trigger a fire detection process. This interaction causes a repeat of the calibration process, but not a full 14-day recalibration.
Attaching the sensor at least 3 meters above the forest floor prevents intentional or inadvertent interactions. If the sensor is moved to a new location, it automatically runs the calibration process again.
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