GPS ENABLED EPIRB WITH INTEGRATED RECEIVER

• US 20090209227A1
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ACR Electronics, Inc. (Drew Marine USA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ACR Electronics, Inc. (Drew Marine USA, Inc.)
• Inventors: JACKSON-POWNALL, ANTHONY, JARUSZEWSKI, FRANCIS M., GREER, KERRY L., WU, KAIYU, CASSINA, CLAUDIO, TONG, CHUNG T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,514,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.200
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 49/00 Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids nautical measuring instruments G01C; radio navigation, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

An Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) comprising an integrated wireless receiver, a graphical display device, capability to utilize both internal and external GPS coordinate sources, an infrared background lighting adjustment algorithm, and a multi-LED strobe light array. The receiver provides a return communications path back to the beacon, which is used to acknowledge the receipt of the beacon'"'"'s outgoing emergency signal by Search and Rescue satellites. The display is used to visually display various operational status information as well as any received messages coming back into the receiver. The GPS receiver system switches between internally derived and/or externally supplied GPS coordinates. The present invention also incorporates an Automatic Background Light Adjustment (ABLA) algorithm to compensate for the maximum range of light intensity encountered by infrared communications LEDs during daytime and nighttime operation. Additionally, a multi-LED array is used to flash a signaling strobe in a universal hemispherical pattern.

Claims

1. An Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) comprising:

a water proof housing;

a radio beacon comprising a radio frequency (“

RF”

) transmitter mounted in said housing;

an antenna connected to said housing and said RF transmitter;

an integrated wireless receiver;

digital signal processor connected to said radio beacon transmitter and said wireless receiver;

an integrated graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) module connected to said digital signal processor, wherein said GUI module comprises a GUI and a shock isolation chamber;

whereby said GUI comprises an organic light emitting diode (“

OLED”

) display;

an integrated GPS receiver system, wherein said GPS receiver system receives input from internally derived GPS coordinates and externally supplied GPS coordinates, whereby said GPS receiver system automatically switches between the internally derived GPS coordinates and the externally supplied GPS coordinates for the input to accept;

an GPS infrared interface system, comprising an external GPS infrared interface and an Automatic Background Light Adjustment algorithm, wherein the GPS infrared interface system provides externally supplied GPS coordinates to said integrated GPS receiver system;

an integrated beacon strobe light comprising one or more light emitting diodes (“

LED”

) housed in a LED array assembly whereby said LED array assembly comprises a three-dimensional hemispherical assembly structure; and

power source connected to said digital signal processor.

2. An EPIRB comprising:

a radio beacon comprising a radio frequency (“

RF”

) transmitter;

an integrated wireless receiver;

an integrated graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) module, wherein said GUI module comprises a GUI and a shock isolation chamber;

an integrated GPS receiver system, wherein said GPS receiver system receives input from internally derived GPS coordinates and externally supplied GPS coordinates, whereby said GPS receiver system automatically switches between the internally derived GPS coordinates and the externally supplied GPS coordinates for the input to accept; and

digital signal processor connected to said radio beacon and said wireless receiver and said GUI module.

3. The EPIRB of claim 2, wherein said EPIRB further comprises an integrated beacon strobe light comprising one or more light emitting diodes (“

LED”

) housed in a LED array assembly.

4. The EPIRB of claim 3, whereby said LED array assembly comprises a three-dimensional hemispherical assembly structure.

5. The EPIRB of claim 2, whereby said GUI comprises an organic light emitting diode (“

OLED”

) display.

6. The EPIRB of claim 2, wherein said EPIRB further comprises a GPS infrared interface system, comprising an external GPS infrared interface and an Automatic Background Light Adjustment algorithm.

7. The EPIRB of claim 6, wherein the GPS infrared interface system provides externally supplied GPS coordinates to said integrated OPS receiver system.

9. An EPIRB as in claim 2 including:

a GPS signal receiver mounted inside said housing;

said message receiver RF antenna being an L-Band antenna and connected to said GPS receiver and said message receiver;

said RF transmitter transmitting at 406 MHz emergency signals when said unit is activated for transmitting emergency signals;

said display receiving messages from said RF message receiver and displaying alphanumeric messages on said display acknowledging receipt of the emergency signals.

10. The device in claim 3 including:

a GPS source switch mounted in said housing connected to said GPS receiver;

an infrared sensor for receiving GPS information and said infrared sensor mounted on the outside of said EPIRB housing and connected as an input to the GPS source switch so that the EPIRB can receive either GPS information through the L-Band antenna from the satellites or GPS information transmitted by infrared through said sensor to the source switch;

an automatic background light adjustment algorithm for adjusting the infrared sensor light level as a function of backlight lighting conditions connected to said digital processor inside said housing.

11. An EPIRB as in claim 2 including:

said display screen includes an organic light emitting diode screen.

12. The device as in claim 5 including:

a shock isolation chamber connected to said OLED display for providing mechanical isolation to prevent damage to said OLED display mounted inside said housing.

13. An EPIRB as in claim 2, including:

a second RF transmitter that can transmit emergency signals at a frequency different than said first RF transmitter, said second RE transmitter mounted inside said housing and connected to an RF antenna used an connected to said first RF emergency signal transmitter.

14. An EPIRB as in claim 2, including:

one or more stored predetermined alpha numerically displayed messages stored inside said digital signal processor for displaying on said screen predetermined information relevant to the operation of said EPIRB in alpha numeric text;

and means for activating said stored messages for display on said display screen.

8. An emergency position indicating radio beacon enabled with global positioning system comprising:

a digital signal processor;

a water proof housing with said digital processor mounted inside;

a first RF emergency signal transmitter connected to said digital signal processor and mounted within said housing;

a first antenna connected to said RF transmitter and said extended outside of said housing;

a display screen connected to said digital signal processor and to the outside of said housing for displaying alpha numeric messages;

means mounted within said housing for receiving a source of GPS satellite information and connected to said digital signal processor;

a power source connected to said digital signal processor;

and an RF message receiver mounted inside said housing connected to said digital signal processor;

an RF antenna connected to said housing and said message receiver for receiving RF signals in said message receiver through said antenna.