Searching system

• US 20040000994A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EJT Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lite-On Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Kuo, Chunn-Cherh
• Granted Patent: US 6,731,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0294 Display details on parent unit
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0415 detecting absence of activity per se
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/088 by monitoring a device worn by the person, e.g. a bracelet attached to the swimmer
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

A searching system employs a global positioning system (GPS) and a wireless communication system to enable a second transceiver to trace the distance and the directions of a plurality of first transceivers. The first transceiver can automatically call the second transceiver user when the user of the first transceiver is at rest in excess of a predetermined interval or has a body temperature lower than a critical value. The user of the first transceiver can push an emergency button on the first transceiver to call the user of the second transceiver for help.

Claims

1. A searching system comprising:

a plurality of global positioning system (GPS) satellites;

at least one first transceiver for receiving a first GPS signal from the GPS satellites and returning a first position thereof through a first wireless communication unit;

at least one second transceiver for receiving a second GPS signal from the GPS satellites, calculating a second position thereof and the first position received through a second wireless communication unit so as to achieve a relative position of the first transceiver with respect to the second transceiver, and displaying the relative position through a coordinated map.

2. The searching system as in claim 1, wherein the first transceiver sends a warning signal to the second transceiver when the first transceiver is at rest for a predetermined time interval, and then a user of the second transceiver is informed.

3. The searching system as in claim 1, wherein the first transceiver sends a warning signal to the second transceiver when the first transceiver senses a temperature is lower than a predetermined critical temperature, and a user of the second transceiver is informed.

4. The searching system as in claim 1, wherein the first and the second wireless communication units are selected from a group consisting of a Bluetooth unit and a RF unit.

5. The searching system as in claim 1, wherein the first transceiver has an emergency button for calling the second transceiver if in emergency.

6. The searching system as in claim 1, wherein the first transceiver comprises:

a first GPS unit for receiving the first GPS signal from the GPS satellites, calculating the first position of the first transceiver, and returning the first position to the second transceiver; and

a microprocessor connected to the first GPS unit and the first wireless communication unit for receiving requests from the second transceiver and sending the first position to the second transceiver through the first wireless communication unit.

7. The searching system as in claim 6, wherein the first transceiver further comprises a temperature sensor connected to the microprocessor for detecting temperatures of a user of the first transceiver.

8. The searching system as in claim 6, wherein the first transceiver further comprises a motion sensor connected to the microprocessor for detecting if a user of the first transceiver moves or rests.

9. The searching system as in claim 6, wherein the first transceiver further comprises an audio encoder/decoder having an input connected to a microphone and an output connected to a loudspeaker, the audio encoder/decoder controlled by the microprocessor converting a digital input signal into an analog signal, outputting the analog signal through the loudspeaker, and converting the an analog input signal from the microphone into a digital signal.

10. The searching system as in claim 1, wherein the second transceiver comprises:

a second GPS unit for receiving the second GPS signal from the GPS satellites, and calculating the second position of the second transceiver and the returned first position, thereby obtaining the relative position of the first transceiver with respect to the second transceiver;

an audio encoder/decoder having an input connected to a microphone and an output connected to a loudspeaker, the audio encoder/decoder converting a digital input signal into an analog signal, outputting the analog signal through the loudspeaker, and converting an analog input signal from the microphone into a digital signal;

a display unit for displaying a user'"'"'s information of the first transceiver including the user'"'"'s name, direction, and distance on the coordinated map; and

a microprocessor connected to the second GPS unit, the second wireless communication unit, the audio encoder/decoder, and the display unit, the microprocessor calculating the relative position of the first transceiver with respect to the second transceiver and displaying the relative position on the display unit, the microprocessor controlling the audio encoder/decoder for generating a warning sound when the microprocessor receives no response from the first transceiver, sending a calling sound to the first transceiver, and controlling the audio encoder/decoder for calling a user of the second transceiver as receiving a warning signal from the first transceiver.

11. The searching system as in claim 10, wherein the second transceiver has at least one button, which is used to set the different warning sounds and the calling sounds for different users of the first transceiver and for different critical distances between the first transceiver and the second transceiver.

12. The searching system as in claim 1, wherein the first transceiver and the second transceiver are switchable.