Emergency vessel location system

• US 4,833,477 A
• Filed: 11/22/1988
• Issued: 05/23/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tendler Cellular Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Robert K. Tendler
• Inventors: Tendler, Robert K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swann, Tod
• Application Number:
  US07/275,660
• Time in Patent Office: 182 Days
• Field of Search: 381/31, 381/41, 381/51, 340/692, 340/963, 340/966, 340/967, 340/996, 340/993, 364/424.01, 364/449, 364/461, 342/389, 342/410, 342/413, 342/455, 441/12
• US Class Current: 342/389
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information

Abstract

An omega, loran or satellite navigation receiver is provided with a speech synthesizer coupled to its latitude/longitude output which is in turn coupled to a transmitter which transmits the latitude and longitude along with a "mayday" indication on an emergency channel when an emergency button is depressed on the unit. The emergency button turns the power on for the navigation unit and bypasses all functions except those relating to the production of a lat./lon. signal. The emergency button also activates the synthesizer after determining that the navigation unit has obtained lock. Upon the obtaining of lock a repeat timer produces repeated dump pulses to the speech synthesizer which modulates the transmitter to transmit the "mayday" indication plus an indication of the latitude and longitude of the vessel. As an option, the vessel name, type and color may be entered into a memory for the speech synthesizer so that the identity of the vessel and its type and color may be ascertained. As an additional feature the unit is provided with a receiver tuned to a special channel utilized by the Coast Guard or other authorities to disable the transmitter remotely. A manual disable from within the vessel is also provided. In one embodiment the same antenna is utilized for the navigation unit, the transmitter and the receiver, whereas in another embodiment the navigation unit is placed in stand-by during the transmit cycle so that its latitude and longitude are not affected by the emergency transmission.

Claims

1. Apparatus adapted to be placed on board a vessel or vehicle so as to be easily usable in an emergency situation by persons on said vessel or vehicle to signal its geopgraphical coordinates by automatically signaling via modulation of an RF signal with a human voice the position of said vessel or vehicle comprising:

a navigation unit adapted to be used on said vessel or vehicle and having as an output the geographical coordinates of said vessel or vehicle;

means connected to said navigation unit including an easily-identified emergency switch means which overrides all except necessary emergency location operations of said navigation unit for activating said navigation unit to generate said coordinates;

means including a speech synthesizer for converting said generated coordinates into an electromagnetic signal representative of human speech;

means including an RF transmitter for broadcasting an electromagnetic signal modulated by said signal representative of human speech on an emergency channel, said broadcast signal adapted to be received by conventional remotely-located receiving means having voice demodulation means and means for reproducing human speech, such that the coordinates of said vessel or vehicle are broadcast by human voice on a modulated RF signal from said vessel or vehicle in a manner intelligible by human beings at said remotely located receiving means; and

,

means responsive to receipt of a predetermined electromagnetic signal transmitted from a location remote from that of said vessel for disabling the transmission of said broadcast signal on said emergency channel, such that the signal broadcast from said vessel or vehicle can be remotely disabled.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said activating means bypasses all functions of said navigational unit not used for generating said coordinates.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 and further including means for activating said speech converting means and said transmitter means in a periodic fashion to provide a repeated coordinate update.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 and further including means for inactivating said disabling means.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 and further including means for inputting additional information to be transmitted into the speech ROM of said coordinate converting means, and for causing said information to be read out of said speech ROM after or before the readout of said coordinates.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said inputting means includes a keypad.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said coordinates are in the form of latitude and longitude.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said activating means includes a single identifiable switch, thereby eliminating the necessity of familiarity with any other switches on said navigation unit.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said navigation unit is a hyperbolic navigation unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said navigation unit is a satellite navigation unit.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 and further including an antenna and wherein said navigation unit and transmitter means share said antenna.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said apparatus includes a receiver and disabling means coupled thereto for inactivating said speech synthesizer.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said navigation unit is protected against radiation from said electromagnetic signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said protection is applied when said transmitter is keyed.

15. Apparatus adapted to be placed on board a vessel or vehicle so as to be easily usable in an emergency situation by persons on said vessel or vehicle to signal its geographical coordinates by automatically signalling by a modulation of an RF signal with a human voice the position of said vessel or vehicle comprising:

a navigation unit adapted to be used on said vessel or vehicle and having as an output at least two geographical coordinates of said vessel or vehicle;

means connected to said navigation unit including easily identified emergency switch means which overrides all except necessary emergency location operations of said navigation unit for activation of said navigation unit to generate said coordinates;

means including a speech synthesizer for converting said generated coordinates into an electromagnetic signal representative of human speech; and

,

means including an RF transmitter for broadcasting an electromagnetic signal modulated by said signal representative of human speech, said broadcast signal adapted to be received by conventional remotely located receiving means having voice demodulation means and means for reproducing human speech, such that the coordinates of said vessel or vehicle are broadcast by human voice on an modulated RF signal from said vessel or vehicle in a manner intelligible by human beings at said remotely located receiving means, whereby said navigation unit is transferred to an emergency mode by actuation by an individual on the vessel or vehicle on which it is carried, whereby the emergency function can be activated by persons not knowledgeable in the operation or function of either the navigation unit or the speech synthesizing or speech transmission means.

16. Apparatus adapted to be placed on board a vessel or vehicle so as to be easily usable in an emergency situation by persons on said vessel or vehicle to signal its geographical coordinates by automatically signalling by a modulation of an RF signal with a human voice the position of said vessel or vehicle comprising:

a navigation unit adapted to be used on said vessel or vehicle and having as an output at least two geographical coordinates of said vessel or vehicle;

means for activating said navigational unit to generate said coordinates;

means including a speech synthesizer for converting said generated coordinates into an electromagnetic signal representative of human speech; and

,

means including an RF transmitter for broadcasting an electromagnetic signal modulated by said signal representative of human speech, said broadcast signal adapted to be received by conventional remotely located receiving means having voice demodulation means and means for reproducing human speech, such that the coordinates of said vessel or vehicle are broadcast by human voice on a modulated RF signal from said vessel or vehicle in a manner intelligible by human beings at said remotely located receiving means.

17. Apparatus usable at a first location to signal the geographical coordinates of said first location by automatically signalling by a modulation of an RF signal with a human voice the position of said first location comprising:

a navigation unit adapted to be used at said first location and having as an output at least two geographical coordinates of said first location;

means for activating said navigation unit to generate said coordinates;

means including a speech synthesizer for converting said generated coorcinates into an electromagnetic signal representative of human speech; and

,

means including an RF transmitter for broadcasting an electromagnetic signal modulated by said signal representative of human speech, said broadcast signal adapted to be received by conventional remotely located receiving means having voice demodulation means and means for reproducing human speech, such that the coordinates of said first location are broadcast by human voice on a modulated RF signal from said first location in a manner intelligible by human beings at said remotely located receiving means.