Emergency transmitter buoy for use on marine vessels
First Claim
1. An emergency radio beacon comprising transmitter electronics contained in a housing and an external antenna for radiating radio signals, the beacon comprising:
- a conductive shield surrounding the transmitter electronics, wherein the conductive shield forms the second half of an antenna in which the external antenna is the first half;
a two-position sliding element on the exterior of the housing for controlling the transmitter electronics;
a magnet mounted on the two-position sliding element;
a magnetic switch mounted on the inside of the position and closed in the other position of the two-position sliding element; and
a plurality of conductive grids and a battery in the housing which form the conductive shield.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An emergency position indicating radio beacon ("EPIRB") includes a watertight housing with an ON-OFF switch on the outside of the housing which does not require holes through the housing wall. A floatation collar on the housing maintains the EPIRB in an upright position in the water and provides a storage cavity for a lanyard. Conductive grids on the interior of the housing either shield the EPIRB electronics from antenna radiation and form the lower half of the antenna, or couple the antenna to the water which acts as a ground plane, depending on whether the EPIRB is floating in the water or is surrounded by air.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. An emergency radio beacon comprising transmitter electronics contained in a housing and an external antenna for radiating radio signals, the beacon comprising:
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a conductive shield surrounding the transmitter electronics, wherein the conductive shield forms the second half of an antenna in which the external antenna is the first half; a two-position sliding element on the exterior of the housing for controlling the transmitter electronics; a magnet mounted on the two-position sliding element; a magnetic switch mounted on the inside of the position and closed in the other position of the two-position sliding element; and a plurality of conductive grids and a battery in the housing which form the conductive shield. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An emergency position indicating radio beacon ("EPIRB") including transmitter electronics in a watertight housing, the EPIRB comprising:
an upper antenna half mounted on the external surface of the watertight housing and a lower antenna half located in the interior of the watertight housing, said lower antenna half comprising a plurality of conductive surfaces mounted closely adjacent the walls of the watertight housing, whereby the upper antenna half and the lower antenna half comprise a dipole antenna when the EPIRB is out of the water, and whereby the lower antenna half capacitively couples to the water creating a ground plane for efficient transmission by the upper antenna half as a monopole antenna when the EPIRB is in the water. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
Specification