Land and water based flash flood detection and warning system

• US 6,558,216 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2001
• Issued: 05/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Yerazunis, William S., Leigh, Darren L.
• Primary Examiner(s): AVILA, STEPHEN P
• Application Number:
  US09/973,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20030068936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 441/1, 441/11
• US Class Current: 441/11
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 22/00 Buoys floating decoys, e.g. for waterfowl A01M31/06; means for indicating the location of underwater objects B63C7/26; life-buoys, e.g. rings B63C9/08; mountings of acoustic transducer in underwater equipment, e.g. sonobuoys G10K11/006; electric cables supported on or from floats H02G9/12
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 22/24 container type, i.e. having provision for the storage of material
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 13/00 Surveying specially adapted to open water, e.g. sea, lake, river or canal liquid level metering G01F
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/005 using floats
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/68 using electrically actuated indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 5/02 by measuring forces exerted by the fluid on solid bodies, e.g. anemometer
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/10 responsive to calamitous events, e.g. tornados or earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/00 in human health protection, e.g. against extreme weather

Abstract

A land and water flash flood detecting and warning system includes a buoyant waterproof casing. A detachable tether is externally fixed to the casing and a distal end of the tether is attached to an anchor to secure the casing in place on land. Accelerometers mounted internally to the casing are configured to measure short-range and short-term positional information of the casing when the casing is in water due to flooding of the land. A radio transceiver coupled to the accelerometers transmit the positional information to land based receiving stations to indicate a flooding condition.

Claims

1. A land and water flash flood detecting and warning system, comprising:

a buoyant waterproof casing;

a detachable tether externally fixed to the casing having a distal end attached to an anchor to secure the casing in place on land;

accelerometers mounted internally to the casing and configured to measure short-range and short-term positional information of the casing when the casing is in water due to flooding of the land; and

a radio transmitter coupled to the accelerometers to transmit the positional information to land based receiving stations.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the casing has a smooth elongated ellipsoid shape with a major axis substantially greater than a minor axis.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the casing is armored.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

short-range and long-range radio transceivers.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

short-range antenna patches embedded in the casing.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

long-range buoyant antennas attached to the casing.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

temperature sensors, acoustic sensors and depth transducers coupled to a microprocessor.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a flow rate sensor; and

a tether release mechanism coupled to the flow rate sensor.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the tether is detachable at a predetermined flow rate of the water.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a GPS receiver to determine long-range and long-term position information of the casing.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the anchor is a roof bolting rod.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the anchor is a marine anchor.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein a shape of the casing, a center of mass, and a position of the tether on the casing is adjusted to cause the casing to rapidly flutter laterally when buoyant in rapidly flowing water.

14. A method for detecting and warning of flash-floods, comprising:

attaching a buoyant waterproof casing to land by a detachable tether externally fixed to the casing;

measuring short-range and short-term positional information of the casing using accelerometers mounted internally to the casing when the casing is in water due to flooding of the land; and

transmitting the short-range and short-term positional information of the casing to land based receiving stations.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

detaching the casing at a predetermined flow rate of the water.