Location of overboard person or object or of water-chemical interface

• US 5,408,238 A
• Filed: 03/17/1993
• Issued: 04/18/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Terry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blum, Theodore M.
• Application Number:
  US08/032,301
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357, 441/80, 441/89
• US Class Current: 342/357.55
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 9/0005 by means of alarm devices for persons falling into the water, e.g. by signalling, by controlling the propulsion or manoeuvring means of the boat alarms responsive to presence of persons in a body of water in general G08B21/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile

Abstract

Apparatus for determining and broadcasting the approximate location of a person or other object that has fallen overboard from a boat or other structure into a body of water. The apparatus includes a floatable object that is thrown into the water near the overboard person/object to broadcast the location of the object and the nearby overboard person. The floatable object includes: an activatable Satellite Positioning System (SPS) receiver/processor and antenna to receive SPS signals from two or more SPS satellites; an activatable location transmitter and transmitter interface to receive the SPS-determined location information from the SPS receiver/processor; a power supply to supply power to the SPS receiver/processor and the location transmitter; and activation means to activate the SPS receiver/processor and location transmitter. The floatable object may be attached to or include a drogue, unfurled in the water, to encourage the floatable object to move with the same velocity and in the same direction as the local water current. In another embodiment, the apparatus may include a chemical analyzer, positioned to be in contact with the ambient liquid, to analyze the local concentration of a target chemical in this liquid and to cause this concentration value to be broadcast. This embodiment is useful for monitoring the present location and/or rate of movement of the boundary between the ambient water and a chemical (such as oil) intentionally or unintentionally released into the water. The SPS receiver/processor and location transmitter can be activated by a water immersion switch, by a manually operable switch, by transmission of an activation signal from a nearby structure, such as a boat, or by any other suitable action. The SPS may be a Global Positioning System (GPS), a Global Orbital Navigational System (GLONASS), or any other suitable satellite-based location and navigation system.

Claims

1. Apparatus for determining the approximate location, on the upper surface of a body of water, of a perceived boundary between a target chemical released in the water and the ambient water, the apparatus comprising one or more location-indicating instruments, each of which comprises:

a free-floating body designed to be placed in and to float in an upright position on the upper surface of a body of water;

an activatable Satellite Positioning System (SPS) signal antenna and receiver/processor that, when activated, receives SPS signals from two or more SPS satellites and determines the location of the SPS antenna, the SPS receiver/processor and antenna being contained on the free-floating body;

an activatable location transmitter and transmitter interface that, when activated, continually receives from the SPS receiver/processor a location signal representing the SPS-determined location of the SPS antenna and transmits this location signal at a selected frequency, with the transmitter and transmitter interface being contained on the free-floating body;

activation means for activating the SPS receiver/processor and location transmitter; and

a power supply connected to the SPS antenna, the SPS receiver/processor, the transmitter and the transmitter interface, and the activation means, to provide operating power;

where each free-floating body is deposited approximately on a perceived boundary between the target chemical released in the water and the surface of the ambient water.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of said location-indicating instruments further comprises:

a chemical analyzer, positioned on said free-floating body to be in contact with a liquid in which said body floats, that determines and issues an output signal representing the local concentration of said target chemical in this liquid, wherein said transmitter interface also receives the chemical analyzer output signal and causes said location transmitter to transmit this chemical analyzer signal at a selected transmitter frequency.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said activation means includes an immersion switch that is contained on said free-floating body and is electronically activated by immersion in water.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said activation means comprises:

an activation signal transmitter and associated power supply that transmits an SPS receiver/processor activation signal and is located on a structure near where a person or object has fallen into the water; and

an activation signal receiver, contained on said floatable object, to receive the SPS receiver/processor activation signal and to activate said SPS receiver/processor and said location transmitter in response to receipt of this activation signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said activation means includes a manually operable switch that, when switched to an active state, activates said SPS receiver/processor and said location transmitter, this switch being contained on said free-floating body.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a visually perceptible flag, visually perceptible light or other visually perceptible indicia attached to said floatable object so that, when said free-floating body floats in an upright position in the water, at least a portion of the flag, light or other indicia is visible above the upper surface of the water.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a drogue attached to said free-floating body and unfurled in the water to encourage said free-floating body to move at approximately the same velocity and in approximately the same direction as the local water current.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said free-floating body is not appreciably affected by local wind currents.

8. A method for determining the approximate location, on the upper surface of a body of water, of a target chemical in the water, the method comprising the steps of:

providing one or more free-floating bodies designed to be placed in and to float in an upright position on the upper surface of a body of water, with each flee-floating body containing or being attached to;

an activatable Satellite Positioning System (SPS) signal antenna and receiver/processor that, when activated, receives SPS signals from two or more SPS satellites and determines the location of the SPS antenna, the SPS receiver/processor and antenna being contained on the flee-floating body;

an activatable location transmitter and transmitter interface that, when activated, continually receives from the SPS receiver/processor a location signal representing the SPS-determined location of the SPS antenna and transmits this location signal at a selected frequency, with the transmitter and transmitter interface being contained on the flee-floating body;

activation means for activating the SPS receiver/processor and location transmitter; and

a power supply connected to at least one of the SPS antenna, the SPS receiver/processor, the transmitter, the transmitter interface and the activation means, to provide operating power; and

positioning the flee-floating body or bodies in a selected pattern in the water approximately on a perceived boundary between the target chemical released in the water and the surface of the ambient water.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of activating said SPS receiver/processor and location transmitter at the time said flee-floating body is positioned in the water.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of attaching a visually perceptible flag, visually perceptible light or other visually perceptible indicia to said free-floating body so that, when said free-floating body floats in an upright position in the water, at least a portion of the flag, light or other indicia is visible above the upper surface of the water.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of attaching a drogue to said free-floating body and unfurling the drogue in the water to encourage said free-floating body to move at approximately the same velocity and in approximately the same direction as the local water current.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of positioning a chemical analyzer on said free-floating body to be in contact with a liquid in which said free-floating body floats, that determines and issues an output signal representing the local concentration of said target chemical in this liquid, wherein said transmitter interface also receives the chemical analyzer output signal and causes said location transmitter to transmit this chemical analyzer signal at a selected transmitter frequency.

14. Apparatus for determining the approximate location, on the upper surface of a body of water, of a person or other object that has fallen into the water, the apparatus comprising:

a flee-floating body designed to be placed in and to float in an upright position on the upper surface of a body of water;

an activatable Satellite Positioning System (SPS) signal antenna and receiver/processor that, when activated, receives SPS signals from two or more SPS satellites and determines the location of the SPS antenna, with the SPS receiver/processor and antenna being contained on the flee-floating body;

an activatable location transmitter and transmitter interface that, when activated, continually receives from the SPS receiver/processor a location signal representing the SPS-determined location of the SPS antenna and transmits this location signal at a selected frequency, the transmitter and transmitter interface being contained on the flee-floating body;

an activation device, attached to the flee-floating body, for activating at least one of the SPS receiver/processor and location transmitter when the fleefloating body is at least partly immersed in water, the activation device comprising an immersion switch, which is activated by immersion of the switch in water and which transmits a signal that activates the location transmitter, transmitter interface and SPS receiver/processor to cause the transmitter to transmit a selected signal that includes the present location of the SPS antenna; and

a power supply connected to at least one of the SPS antenna, the SPS receiver/processor, the transmitter, the transmitter interface and the activation device, to provide operating power,

where the free-floating body is designed to be placed in the water adjacent to, but separate from, a person or other object that has fallen into the water.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a manually operable switch that, when switched to an active state, activates at least one of said SPS receiver/processor and said location transmitter, this switch being contained in or on said free-floating body or on a structure near said free-floating body.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a visually perceptible flag, visually perceptible light or other visually perceptible indicia attached to said free-floating body so that, when said free-floating body floats in an upright position in the water, at least a portion of the flag, light or other indicia is visible above the upper surface of the water.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a drogue attached to said free-floating body and unfurled in the water to encourage said free-floating body to move at approximately the same velocity and in approximately the same direction as the local water current.