<< return to Pixycam.com

Pixy for detect fire or candle light

Pixy Hardware
#1

can we use pixy for detect candle light/fire?
anybody already do this project? please I need help,
thanks

#2

Hello,
That’s an interesting application :slight_smile: A couple things you might try:

  1. Turning down the brightness (exposure) and looking for the color of the flame (train Pixy on the color of the flame after turning down the brightness, because the flame will be overexposed in the image).
  2. Use a brightness-based approach. The folks at IR-lock have a special version of firmware for Pixy that looks for bright regions in the image (not color).

Hope this helps!

Edward

#3

thanks for help Edward,
if I want to use pixy for detect flame (with your setting) so we can’t detect color? , is there any suggestion where I can detect flame and color on the same time, or like automatic switch mode from flame detection to color detection?
thanks

#4

I’ve never tried this, so I’m speculating. A flame tends to be bright, which will tend to overexpose the pixels associated with the flame in the image. Overexposed pixels show up as white pixels. You can fix this by turning down the brightness (exposure). When you do this, you will see the true color of the flame and you can use Pixy’s color detection to find the flame. (think of Pixy as a camera.)

Edward

#5

Does anyone know if the PixyCam is able to discriminate between different types of heat and light source?

I have an application for a fire-extinguishing robot where I would like Pixy to be able to detect a candle and be able to reject other bright things such as lights in the room or sunlight. My first version of this robot used IR sensors which worked well, but also meant that Pixy went towards the sun because it couldn’t discriminate between the different types of IR.

Is Pixy able to identify and discriminate light/ heat sources based on it’s spectral density?

Thanks!
Sam

#6

Hey Sam,

short answer: no, Pixy doesn’t discriminate between heat / light source. It detects objects based on color - so trying to detect heat won’t work.

There is a company called IR-LOCK that sells a modified version of Pixy which is designed to track infrared sources. https://irlock.com/collections/frontpage/products/ir-lock-filtered-pixy?variant=800533295

You might also combine sensor input using a microcontroller - Pixy could provide visual tracking, and you could detect the fire using some other kind of sensor, and write some code to do different things depending on the combined input.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Jesse

#7

Hi Jesse,
Thanks for getting back to me! So is it possible to track IR sources without buying the modified PIxy? Is there any way to modify Pixy myself? What does the mod actually involve? Can the pixy discriminate between different types of IR?

Sorry for all the questions, I’m just trying to work out if Pixy is the right device for my application!!

Many Thanks,
Sam

#8

Hey Sam,

no worries! If you already have a Pixy, you can just buy the mod kit from IR-LOCK: https://irlock.com/collections/shop/products/ir-lock-filter-for-pixy

Basically, the mod involves replacing the stock lens (which has an IR-blocking filter coating applied), adding a filter to block visible light, and uploading custom IR-LOCK firmware.

The IR-LOCK firmware allows for tracking regular IR sources, like a steady LED, and also adds functionality for tracking their MarkOne beacons which output pulsed IR (enables robust tracking in daylight conditions).

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Jesse

#9

I should add - this mod only works on original Pixy, because Pixy2 has a different lens assembly that is not user-modifiable.

#10

Okay great thank you very much! And if I buy the mod kit will the Pixy be able to tell the difference between different wavelengths of IR?

Thanks again for your help!
Sam

#11

Hey Sam,

hmm. I’m not sure, that would be a question for the IR-LOCK folks…but I imagine the answer is probably no, unfortunately! Pixy is designed to track objects based on color, and I believe all IR will show up as white, so I don’t think there’s much distinction to be made between wavelengths.

Cheers,
Jesse

#12

Thanks Jesse, That’s so helpful to know. I’ll drop the IR-LOCK folks a message anyway!
Thanks,
Sam