Personal locator beacon

• US 8,138,911 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2007
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Briartek Ip
• Original Assignee: Briartek Ip
• Inventors: Collins, Charles K., Landa, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie
• Application Number:
  US11/627,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20070264967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 342/419
• US Class Current: 340/539.1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 29/021 Means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons
• CPC Class Codes: E21F 17/18 Special adaptations of signalling or alarm devices for mine lifts B66B; gas-sensitive devices per se G01N
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/001 Signalling to an emergency team, e.g. firemen

Abstract

A tracking and locating system includes a user unit, a central unit, and a range finder. The user unit includes a beacon that transmits an information signal. The central unit receives the information signal from the beacon, interprets content of the information signal, and reports the content. The range finder receives the information signal from the beacon, interprets a header of the information signal to determine a range, and reports the range.

Claims

1. A tracking and locating system, comprising:

a user unit;

a central unit; and

a range finder;

wherein the user unit includes a beacon that transmits an information signal, wherein the information signal includes only locally-derived information;

wherein the central unit receives the information signal directly from the beacon, interprets content of the information signal, and reports the content; and

wherein the range finder receives the information signal from the beacon, interprets a range field of the information signal to determine a range, and reports the range.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the range field is a header.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the beacon is adapted to transmit the information signal constantly.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the beacon is adapted to transmit the information signal periodically.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user unit is adapted to be worn by an individual user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the central unit includes a transmitter that transmits an actuation signal, and the user unit includes a receiver that receives the actuation signal from the central unit, whereby the user unit is adapted to be actuated in response to receiving the actuation signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein content of the information signal includes information related to the status of the user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the information related to the status of the user includes current status information and historic status information.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the beacon is adapted to transmit the information signal when the status information changes.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the user unit includes a motion detector, and wherein the content of the information signal indicates a lack of motion of the user when the motion detector detects substantially no motion for a predetermined time period.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the central unit is adapted to report the lack of motion of the user when the content of the information signal indicates a lack of motion of the user.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the user unit includes an accelerometer, and wherein the content of the information signal indicates a fall by the user when the accelerometer detects acceleration of the user unit above a predetermined threshold.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the central unit is adapted to report the fall by the user when the content of the information signal indicates a full by the user.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the user unit includes a temperature sensor, and wherein the content of the information signal includes an indication of ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the central unit is adapted to report the ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor when the ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor is above a predetermined threshold.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the user unit includes an environmental sensor, and wherein the content of the information signal includes an indication of environmental hazard status sensed by the environmental sensor.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the environmental sensor senses the ambient presence of combustible gas proximate to the environmental sensor.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the central unit is adapted to report the ambient presence of combustible gas sensed by the environmental sensor when the content of the information signal indicates that the ambient presence of combustible gas sensed by the environmental sensor is above a predetermined threshold.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the environmental sensor senses the ambient presence of oxygen proximate to the environmental sensor.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the central unit is adapted to report the ambient presence of oxygen sensed by the environmental sensor when the content of the information signal indicates that the presence of oxygen sensed by the environmental sensor is below a predetermined threshold.

21. The system of claim 7, wherein the information signal includes a field identifying the user.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the central unit is adapted to report an identification indicator corresponding to the field identifying the user.

23. The system of claim 7, wherein the user unit is adapted to transmit a homing signal.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the user unit is adapted to transmit the homing signal constantly.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the user unit is adapted to transmit the homing signal periodically.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the user unit is adapted to transmit the information signal at a first frequency and the homing signal at a second frequency.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the first and second frequencies are RF frequencies.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the first frequency is higher than the second frequency.

29. The system of claim 23, comprising at least two said user units in communication with each other and with the central unit over a mesh network.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the central unit is adapted to track relative locations of the user units over the mesh network.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the user unit is adapted to transmit the homing signal at least two different signal strengths.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the homing signal includes a signal strength field that identities the signal strength.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the signal strength field is a header.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the range finder is adapted to read the signal strength field and to report a range associated with the signal strength.

35. The system of claim 7, wherein the central unit is adapted to decode the information signal and to report the status of the user.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein the central unit includes a monitor on which the central unit displays the content of the information signal.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein the central unit includes an audio alarm that sounds when the information signal indicates an alarm condition.