Emergency device to be worn by divers

• US 10,373,479 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2015
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Studio Ing. Banfi S.R.L
• Original Assignee: SHARKNET Srl
• Inventors: Banfi, Maurizio
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Point, Rufus C
• Application Number:
  US15/505,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20170243471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2203/02 telephone
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/26 Communication means, e.g. means for signalling the presence of diverselectric communication in general H04
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 2009/0017 characterised by making use of satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. the Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 2011/021 Diving computers, i.e. portable computers specially adapted for divers, e.g. wrist worn, watertight electronic devices for detecting or calculating scuba diving parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/088 by monitoring a device worn by the person, e.g. a bracelet attached to the swimmer
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3894 Waterproofing of transmission device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

It is described an emergency device (100) for divers comprising a watertight case (101) structured to assume a submerged position and an emerged position. The watertight case includes: a depth sensor (102) configured to determine a depth value associated with the submerged position assumed by the emergency device when a user activates an emergency procedure; a positioning device (103) configured to determine a geographic position, including latitude and longitude, assumed by the emergency device (100) in the emerged position; a GSM or satellite telephone transmitter/receiver (104) configured to transmit an emergency message comprising said depth value and said geographic position.

Claims

1. An emergency device for divers, comprising:

a watertight case structured to assume a submerged position and an emerged position, the watertight case including;

a depth sensor configured to determine a depth value associated with the submerged position assumed by the emergency device when a user activates an emergency procedure;

a positioning device configured to determine a geographic position, including latitude and longitude, assumed by the emergency device in the emerged position;

a GSM or satellite telephone transmitter/receiver configured to transmit an emergency message comprising said depth value and said geographic position,

wherein said watertight case further comprises;

a data processing and storage module connected to said depth sensor, positioning device and said telephone transmitter/receiver;

wherein said data processing and storage module is configured to;

store at least one telephone number, email address or web address to which said emergency message has to be sent;

activate said telephone transmitter/receiver to automatically send the emergency message when the emergency procedure is activated and the emerged position is reached.

2. The emergency device of claim 1, further comprising a communication module connected to said processing and storage module and structured to allow reception of data corresponding at least to one telephone number, e-mail address or web address to be stored into the processing and storage module.

3. The emergency device of claim 2, wherein said communication module is a Bluetooth module.

4. The emergency device of claim 1, wherein:

the depth sensor is configured to detect that the emergency device has reached submerged position and to send a corresponding first electrical signal to said data processing and memorization module.

5. The emergency device of claim 1, further comprising:

an emergency procedure activation device configured to send a corresponding second electrical signal to the data processing and memorization module to indicate an emergency situation and activate the emergency procedure.

7. The emergency device of claim 1, wherein said depth sensor is a pressure sensor.

8. The emergency device of claim 7, wherein:

said pressure sensor is structured to detect decreasing pressure values associated with an emersion of the emergency device from the submerged position to the emerged position and provide said pressure values to the processing and storage module;

the data processing and storage module is configured to;

evaluate a pressure decreasing rate from the decreasing pressure values and compare said values to a threshold rate, activate the emergency procedure if the pressure decreasing rate is greater than said threshold rate, activate said telephone transmitter/receiver to automatically send the emergency message when the emerged position is reached.

9. The emergency device of claim 1, wherein said watertight case shows a positive buoyancy to reach the emerged position from the submerged position.

10. The emergency device of claim 1, wherein said watertight case is provided with fastening means to fix the emergency device to a divers'"'"' emergency buoy in order to reach the emerged position from the submerged position.

11. A diving monitoring system comprising:

the emergency device of claim 1 to be associated with a diver,

a monitoring communication device to be associated with a user and structured to send according to a wireless technology inquiring signals to the emergency device and receive a response signal from said emergency device indicating the presence of the diver at the emerged position nearby the monitoring communication device.

12. The diving monitoring system of claim 11, wherein:

said wireless technology is the Bluetooth standard, and

the emergency device further includes a Bluetooth module connected to the processing and storage module of the emergency device and structured to receive said inquiring signals and transmit said response signal.

13. The diving monitoring system of claim 12, wherein said monitoring communication device is configured to automatically and periodically transmit said inquiring signals.

14. A diver monitoring system comprising:

the emergency device of claim 1 to be associated with a diver,

a central computer configured to operate on the Internet and associated with an e-mail and/or a web address;

wherein

the processing and storage module of the emergency device is configured to;

store data/information describing a dive performed by the diver and comprising one or more of the following data;

identification data of the diver, geographical location of the dive site, values of the depths reached by the divers and corresponding time values and pressure values;

send, by means of the GSM or satellite telephone transmitter/receiver of the emergency device, said data/information describing a dive to the mail and/or a web address associated with the central computer.

15. The diver monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the processing and storage module of the emergency device is configured to:

send said data describing a dive to the central computer in a completely automated manner, at the end of each dive, upon resurfacing of the emergency device and without the possibility for an operator, particularly the diver, to disable the transmission of said data describing a dive.

6. An emergency device for divers, comprising:

a watertight case structured to assume a submerged position and an emerged position, the watertight case including;

a depth sensor configured to determine a depth value associated with the submerged position assumed by the emergency device when a user activates an emergency procedure;

a positioning device configured to determine a geographic position, including latitude and longitude, assumed by the emergency device in the emerged position;

a GSM or satellite telephone transmitter/receiver configured to transmit an emergency message comprising said depth value and said geographic position;

an emergency procedure activation device configured to send a corresponding second electrical signal to the data processing and memorization module to indicate an emergency situation and activate the emergency procedure,

wherein said watertight case further comprises;

a data processing and storage module connected to said depth sensor, positioning device and said telephone transmitter/receiver;

wherein said data processing and storage module is configured to;

store at least one telephone number, email address or web address to which said emergency message has to be sent;

activate said telephone transmitter/receiver to automatically send the emergency message when the emergency procedure is activated and the emerged position is reached,

wherein;

said emergency procedure activation device is an accelerometer configured to detect taps given to the emergency device by the user to trigger the emergency procedure and send the second electrical signal;

preferably, said accelerometer is also configured to detect a motion or a still position of the emergency device and send corresponding motion signals to the data processing and memorization module to make the emergency device assume a stand-by status or an active status.