Water-activated emergency radio beacon

• US 5,710,989 A
• Filed: 09/17/1996
• Issued: 01/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ACR Electronics, Inc. (Drew Marine USA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ACR Electronics, Inc. (Drew Marine USA, Inc.)
• Inventors: Flood, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SOBUTKA, PHILIP
• Application Number:
  US08/714,829
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 455/89, 455/90, 455/95, 455/96, 455/97, 455/98, 455/99, 455/100, 455/128, 455/66, 340/620, 340/573, 340/604, 340/605, 340/309.4, 340/539, 200/61.04, 200/61.05, 200/182, 200/190, 200/199, 441/7.95, 441/80, 441/88, 441/89, 114/183 R
• US Class Current: 455/100
• 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: 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, sized for mounting on a life vest or the like, that includes a water-activated switch that automatically activates the transmitter when the water-activated switch is mounted in water. The water-activated switching circuitry includes an insulated electrical paddle that separates the exposed electrical contacts a predetermined distance to insure that the device will not be inadvertently activated by moisture, but that it must be immersed in water for proper contact. The system also includes a memory circuit and power amplification.

Claims

1. An emergency position indicating radio beacon for personal use and for attachment to personal floatation devices, comprising:

a waterproof housing arranged to be worn by a user or attached to a personal floatation device;

an electrical power supply mounted within said housing;

circuit means mounted inside said housing for generating radio frequency signals for broadcast;

an antenna connected to said housing exterior and electrically connected to said circuit means for broadcasting and transmitting said radio frequency signals from said antenna as a radio beacon;

a manually actuated electrical switch having an on and an off mode for connecting said power supply to said radio frequency generating circuit means;

a water-activated electrical switch connected to said circuit means, said water-activated electrical switch being remotely disposed from said waterproof housing, said water-activated switch being tethered to said housing by electrical conductors, whereby whenever said water-activated switch is immersed in water and said manually activated switch is in an on mode, said radio beacon will transmit radio frequency signals; and

memory circuit means connected to said water-activated switch for activating said radio frequency circuit means for a predetermined period of time whenever said water-activated switch is removed from said water immersion to provide uninterrupted radio frequency signal transmissions while said emergency position indicating radio beacon is in use;

said water activated switch includes;

an essentially planar electrically insulated barrier having a pair of recessed grooves separated from each other by a first predetermined distance, said grooves offset from each other by a second predetermined distance, said grooves essentially parallel to each other, said first predetermined distance equal to the separation between said parallel grooves, said grooves positioned on opposite surfaces of said electrically insulated barrier, said second predetermined distance defined by a predetermined thickness of said electrically insulated barrier; and

first and second electrical conductors, each connected at one end to said radio frequency transmitting circuitry and said power supply, and at the opposite end, each connected within said separated grooves mounted in said electrically insulated barrier, said conductors including an insulating means covering said wire conductors up to near the ends of the conductors, said conductors having an exposed electrical portion mounted within said grooves, said conductive wire ends strategically spaced apart by said first and said second predetermined distances to require immersion in an ionizing liquid to complete circuit contact across said electrical conductor ends.

2. An emergency position indicating radio beacon as in claim 1, including power amplifying circuit means connected to said water-activated switch and said radio frequency transmitting circuit means for amplifying the signal received from the water-activated switch.

3. An emergency position indicating radio beacon for personal use and for attachment to personal floatation devices, comprising:

a portable waterproof housing arranged to be worn by a user of attached to a personal floatation device;

an electrical power supply mounted within said housing;

circuit means mounted inside said housing for generating radio frequency signals for broadcast;

an antenna connected to said housing exterior and electrically connected to said circuit means for broadcasting and transmitting predetermined radio frequency signals from said antenna as a radio beacon;

a liquid-activated electrical switch remotely disposed from said waterproof housing, said liquid-activated switch being tethered to said housing and activating broadcast of said radio frequency signals;

memory circuit means connected to said radio frequency generating circuit means mounted inside said housing and connected to said liquid-activated switch for activating said radio frequency circuit means for a predetermined period of time whenever said liquid-activating switch is removed from its liquid immersion to provide uninterrupted transmissions of said radio frequency signals when said emergency position indicating radio beacon is in use; and

a pair of insulated electrical conductors, at least one foot in length, having first ends and second ends, and connected at said first ends to said circuit means mounted within said housing and at said second ends to said liquid-activated switch, each of said conductors having an insulating cover, said insulated electrical conductors comprising a tether, whereby the liquid-activated switch can be remotely located in a different location than said liquid-proof housing allowing the housing to be located away from the liquid within which the liquid-activated switch is immersed;

said liquid-activated switch includes;

an essentially planar electrically insulated barrier having a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel, grooves, each groove on an opposite surface of said essentially planar insulated barrier, each groove spaced apart a predetermined distance from each other and offset by a predetermined thickness of said barrier; and

said pair of insulated electrical conductors having said second ends mounted within said grooves in said insulated barrier, each second end on each opposite surface of each barrier, each second electrical conductor ends having exposed conductor end tips free of said electrical insulating material, said second end tips of said electrical conductors being located in said grooves; and

means for holding each of said second conductor end tips in said grooves, said conductor wire end tips strategically spaced apart by the predetermined distance of said grooves and offset by said predetermined thickness of said barrier to require immersion of said liquid-activated switch in an ionizing liquid to complete circuit contact across said electrical conductor end tips.

4. An emergency position indicating radio beacon as in claim 3, including a manually actuated electrical switch having an on and an off mode for connecting said power supply to said radio frequency generating circuit means.