Shock detector

• US 9,285,396 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shock Alert, LLC
• Original Assignee: Birchtree LLC
• Inventors: King, L. Herbert Jr., Keeven, James, McKinney, Justin, Vlasaty, Frank, Burns, Nathan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoai-An D
• Application Number:
  US13/987,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20140062512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 324/713, 324/691, 324/649, 324/600
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/00 Electric lighting devices with self-contained electric batteries or cells
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/008 the casing being outside the housing of the lighting device
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0435 activated by remote control means
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/109 of gardens
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/00 Arrangements for measuring currents or voltages or for indicating presence or sign thereof G01R5/00 takes precedence; for measuring bioelectric currents or voltages A61B5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/0084 measuring voltage only all subgroups of G01R19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/0092 measuring current only all subgroups of G01R19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/10 Measuring sum, difference or ratio
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/145 Indicating the presence of current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/155 Indicating the presence of voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/165 Indicating that current or voltage is either above or below a predetermined value or within or outside a predetermined range of values
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/1659 to indicate that the value is within or outside a predetermined range of values (window) G01R19/16514, G01R19/16519, G01R19/16528 and G01R19/16533 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/08 Measuring resistance by measuring both voltage and current
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/14 Measuring resistance by measuring current or voltage obtained from a reference source G01R27/16, G01R27/20, G01R27/22 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/22 Measuring resistance of fluids
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources

Abstract

A shock detector having an electrical detector having a set of water immersible electrodes for detecting hazardous water conditions through the determination of the presence of either an electrical current in a body of water, a voltage in the body of water or a voltage gradient in the body of water and then providing an alert to the existence of hazardous electrical conditions in the body of water which in some cases may transmitted to a power source to shut off a power source thereby removing the hazardous water condition.

Claims

1. A shock detector for detecting a hazardous water condition comprising:

a sensor for determination of the presence of either an electrical current in a body of water, a voltage in the body of water or a voltage gradient in the body of water that is sufficiently great so as to injure or kill a person entering the body of water;

a ground electrode for engaging with soil proximate a body of water;

an electrical conductor connecting said ground electrode to said shock detector;

a first water electrode for immersing in a body of water;

a second electrical conductor connecting said water electrode to said shock detector;

an electrical detector comprising a voltmeter located in said shock detector for measuring a voltage between the ground electrode and the first water electrode; and

an alarm for alerting a person that the measured voltage between the ground electrode and the first water electrode has exceeded a dangerous threshold that would injure or electrocute a person.

2. The shock detector of claim 1 including a second water electrode spaced from said first water electrode and a third electrical conductor connecting said first water electrode to said shock detector;

a switch for selecting the second water electrode and the first water electrode for measurement of the voltage therebetween to determine a voltage gradient within the body of water; and

a further alarm in the shock detector for alerting a person that the voltage gradient has exceeded the dangerous threshold.

3. The shock detector of claim 2 including a third water electrode spaced from said second water electrode, said switch operable for selecting the second water electrode and the third water electrodes for measurement of the voltage gradient therebetween said further alarm in the shock detector alerting a person that the voltage gradient between the second water electrode and third water electrode has exceeded the dangerous threshold.

4. The shock detector of claim 1 wherein the shock detector is permanently mounted on a water dock.

5. The shock detector of claim 1 wherein the shock detector is portable and includes an electrically insulated handle for moving the shock detector from location to location.

6. The method of determining the presence of an electrical field in a body of water where the electrical field is sufficient so as to injure or kill a person entering the body of water comprising:

inserting a pair of water electrodes into a body of water before a person enters the body of water and measuring either a voltage differential between the water electrodes or a current flow between the pair of water electrodes and sounding an alarm if either the voltage differential or the current flow is sufficient to cause injure or electric shock drowning.

7. The method of claim 6 comprising:

placing a current electrode in a body of water with the current electrode having a first end and a second end;

measuring the current flow through the current electrode to determine if the current flow is sufficient to cause injure or electric shock drowning; and

sending a signal to alert a person of the existence of a dangerous current threshold in the body of water.

8. The method of claim 6 including the step of inserting at least three water electrodes into the body of water to determine a voltage differential between each of the water electrodes and using the voltage differential between each of the electrodes to determine an origin of an electrical fault.

9. The method of claim 6 comprising immersing a set of water electrodes in the water proximate a boat and at allowing a ground electrode to sink to the bottom of the body of water and measuring the voltage between the water electrodes and the lake bottom to determine if there is an electric field proximate the boat that could cause electric shock drowning.

10. The method of claim 6 comprising immersing a set of water electrodes in the water proximate a water dock and measuring the voltage differential between the water electrodes or measuring the voltage differential between a ground electrode and the set of water electrodes.

11. A shock detector comprising:

a housing;

an electrical detector located in said housing;

a first water electrode for at least partially immersing in a body of water, said first water electrode in electrical communication with said electrical detector while being electrically isolated from said housing;

a second water electrode for at least partially immersing in a body of water, said second water electrode in electrical communication with said electrical detector while being electrically isolated from said housing;

an indictor comprising an AC ammeter for alerting a person of the presence of an electric field in response to a signal from the electrical detector; and

a current rod wherein the first water electrode connects to a first end of the current rod and the second water electrode connects to an opposite end of the current rod with the electrical detector responsive to the presence of a current in the current rod when the current rod is immersed in a body of water having the electrical field.

12. The shock detector of claim 11 wherein the electrical detector includes both an ammeter and a voltmeter.

13. The shock detector of claim 11 wherein the electrical detector comprise an AC voltmeter.

14. The shock detector of claim 12 wherein the electrical detector measures both an AC or DC field in a body of water.

15. The shock detector of claim 11 including a second current rod with the second current rod located at a traverse angle to the first current rod.

16. The shock detector of claim 11 wherein the shock detector is portable and includes an electrically insulated handle and an electrically insulated housing for measuring an electric field in a body of water.

17. The shock detector of claim 11 including an electrical insulation covering on the first water electrode and the second water electrode with the shock detector electrically isolated from the housing.

18. The shock detector of claim 11 wherein the current rod has an intermediate portion and a first end and a second end with the intermediate portion covered with an electrically insulation.

19. A shock detector for detecting a hazardous water condition that could injure or kill a person entering the comprising:

an electrical detector for determination of the presence of an electrical condition that is sufficiently great so as to injure or kill a person entering a body of water;

a ground electrode for engaging with soil proximate the body of water;

an electrical conductor connecting said ground electrode to said electrical detector;

a water electrode for immersing in the body of water;

a second electrical conductor connecting said water electrode to said electrical detector; and

an alarm for alerting a person that the electrical condition in the body of water has exceeded a dangerous threshold that would injure or electrocute a person who entered the body of water.

20. A shock detector for detecting a hazardous electrical water condition in a body of water that could injure or kill a person entering the body of water comprising:

an electrical detector for determination of the presence of an electrical condition in the body of water that is sufficiently great so as to injure or kill a person entering the body of water, where the electrical condition is either an electrical voltage condition or an electrical current condition; and

an LED for alerting a person that the electrical condition in the body of water has exceeded a dangerous threshold that would injure or electrocute a person who entered the body of water.

21. The shock detector of claim 20 when the electrical detector measures a voltage gradient between a first electrode and a second electrode.

22. The shock detector of claim 20 when the electrical detector comprises a floating shock detector.

23. The shock detector of claim 20 when the electrical detector comprises a floating shock detector.

24. The shock detector of claim 20 when the electrical detector comprises a set of orthogonal positioned conductors to provide information on an origin of the hazardous condition.