Emergency Transmission Monitoring and Reporting

• US 20080174418A1
• Filed: 01/18/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Potomac Aviation Technology Corp.
• Original Assignee: Potomac Aviation Technology Corp.
• Inventors: Wartofsky, David J., Simon, Gary B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,948,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/514
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/185 Signal analysis techniques for reducing or preventing false alarms or for enhancing the reliability of the system

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for monitoring an emergency frequency at a ground station for detection of an emergency signal and, upon detecting an emergency signal, determining whether the emergency signal represents an emergency event. If an emergency event is detected, the emergency event is reported. Determining whether the emergency signal represents an emergency event may include testing validity of the emergency signal to eliminate false positives. Reporting the emergency event may include sending an emergency event message to a remote server. The emergency event message may include time information and signal strength information associated with the detected emergency event and location information associated with the ground station.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring an emergency frequency at a ground station for detection of an emergency signal;

upon detecting an emergency signal, determining whether the emergency signal represents an emergency event;

if an emergency event is detected, reporting the emergency event.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the emergency frequency includes monitoring periodically.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the emergency signal represents an emergency event includes testing validity of the emergency signal to eliminate false positives.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein testing validity of the emergency signal includes declaring an emergency event if the emergency signal is continuously present during a time interval.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein testing validity of the emergency signal includes declaring an emergency event if the emergency signal is continuously present during K time intervals, where K>

1.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein reporting the emergency event includes sending an emergency event message to a server.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the emergency event message includes time information and signal strength information associated with the detected emergency event.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the emergency event message further includes location information associated with the ground station.

9. Apparatus at a ground station, the apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to (i) monitor an emergency frequency for detection of an emergency signal, (ii) determine whether a detected emergency signal represents an emergency event and (iii) format an emergency event message; and

a network interface coupled to the processor that communicates the emergency event message.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a radio receiver coupled to the processor that receives emergency frequency transmissions, wherein the processor monitors the received emergency frequency transmissions.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processor is configured to monitor the emergency frequency periodically.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processor determines whether the emergency signal represents an emergency event by testing validity of the emergency signal to eliminate false positives.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the processor tests validity of the emergency signal by declaring an emergency event if the emergency signal is continuously present during a time interval.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the processor tests validity of the emergency signal by declaring an emergency event if the emergency signal is continuously present during K time intervals, where K>

1.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the network interface communicates the emergency event message to a server.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the emergency event message includes time information and signal strength information associated with the detected emergency event.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the emergency event message further includes location information associated with the ground station.

18. A system comprising:

plural monitor units located at respective ground stations, each unit configured to (i) monitor an emergency frequency for detection of an emergency signal, (ii) determine whether a detected emergency signal represents an emergency event, (iii) format an emergency event message and communicate the emergency event message over a network; and

a server coupled to the plural monitor units over the network, the server configured to (i) receive the emergency event message communicated by any of the monitor units, (ii) determine a location of the emergency event, (iii) select an emergency services provider based on the location of the emergency event and (iv) report the emergency event to the selected emergency services provider.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the emergency event message includes time information and signal strength information associated with the detected emergency event and location information associated with the ground station.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the monitor unit determines whether the emergency signal represents an emergency event by declaring an emergency event only if the emergency signal is continuously present during a time interval.