Disaster warning communications system

• US 5,628,050 A
• Filed: 12/09/1994
• Issued: 05/06/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Scientific And Commercial Systems Corporation
• Original Assignee: Scientific And Commercial Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Woll, Richard S., McGraw, Thomas F., Mitulla, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BANKS HAROLD, MARSHA DENISE
• Application Number:
  US08/352,595
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/38.2, 455/38.4, 455/228, 455/343, 455/67.7, 455/158.2, 455/158.4, 455/158.5, 455/186.1, 455/186.2, 340/825.44, 340/825.45, 340/870.1, 340/870.16, 340/601
• US Class Current: 455/12.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/001 Signalling to an emergency team, e.g. firemen

Abstract

The Disaster Warning Communications System is a message relay system designed to provide backup warning of impending natural hazard in areas where normal communications are vulnerable to losses imposed by geographic influence. It has been designed to take advantage of the near-hemispheric communications access of existing geostationary weather satellites. This broad coverage allows a single satellite to provide warning to virtually all the inhabited islands in the hemisphere surrounding the subpoint of the satellite, excluding only the extreme polar areas. By extension, three such satellites can cover the entire populated Earth.

Claims

1. An early warning personal communication system comprising:

an uplink means which communicates with a satellite;

a satellite;

a plurality of downlink means which are capable of receiving communications from said satellite; and

a plurality of receivers, wherein said receivers comprise a portable unit with a visual display subsystem.

2. The early warning personal communication system of claim 1 where said uplink means communicates directly with the satellite in order to forward a message of disaster warning to be disseminated to the public.

3. The early warning personal communication system of claim 1 where said satellite is a geo-stationary satellite.

4. The early warning personal communication system of claim 1 where said satellite is a government owned/operated satellite.

5. The early warning personal communication system of claim 1 where the plurality of downlink means comprise at least one first downlink means referred to as a direct downlink receiver, said direct downlink receiver being located at or in direct communication with local emergency management authorities, and a plurality of second downlink means referred to as repeater terminals.

6. The early warning personal communication system of claim 5 where said second downlink means is comprised of a downlink converter, a decoder, and exciter and a transmitter.

7. The early warning personal communication system of claim 1 where said receivers comprise a light-weight, portable unit with a visual display subsystem.

8. The early warning personal communication system of claim 7 where said visual display subsystem is designed to convey information of at least the type of disaster, its location, and its direction of movement.

9. The early warning personal communication system of claim 7 where said visual display subsystem additionally comprises an audio annunciator and a test/all clear display.

10. An early warning personal communication system comprising:

an uplink means which communicates with a satellite;

a geo-stationary satellite;

downlink means comprised of at least one first downlink means and a plurality of second downlink means each of which is capable of receiving communications from said satellite; and

a plurality of personal receivers, wherein said receivers comprise a portable unit with a visual display subsystem which conveys specific information to its user comprising the type of disaster, and its position relative to the user through the use of icons and LEDs.

11. The early warning personal communication system of claim 10 where the uplink means communicates directly with the satellite in order to forward a message of disaster warning to be disseminated to the public.

12. The early warning personal communication system of claim 10 where said satellite is a government owned/operated satellite.

13. The early warning personal communication system of claim 10 wherein said at least one first downlink means referred to as a direct downlink receiver, said direct downlink receiver being located at or in direct communication with local emergency management authorities, and a plurality of second downlink means referred to as a repeater terminal.

14. The early warning personal communication system of claim 13 where said second downlink means is comprised of a downlink converter, a decoder, and exciter and a transmitter.

15. The early warning personal communication system of claim 13 where said repeater terminal is comprised of:

a direct downlink converter which comprises a low-noise amplifier and a downconverter;

a receiver;

a phase-lock loop detector;

an exciter; and

a transmitter.

16. The early warning personal communication system of claim 15 which further comprises a storage battery which is float-charged by a solar panel charger.

17. The early warning personal communication system of claim 10 where said receivers comprise a light-weight, portable unit with a visual display subsystem.

18. The early warning personal communication system of claim 10 where said visual display subsystem is designed to convey information of at least the type of disaster, its location, and the direction of movement.

19. The early warning personal communication system of claim 10 where said visual display subsystem additionally comprises an audio annunciator and a test/all clear display.

20. An early warning personal communication system comprising:

an uplink means which communicates with a satellite in order to forward a message of disaster warning to be disseminated to the public, said satellite being operated by a satellite control facility;

a geo-stationary, government owned/operated satellite;

downlink means comprised of at least one first downlink means, said first downlink means being referred to as a direct downlink receiver and being located at or in direct communication with local emergency management authorities, and a plurality of second downlink means referred to as a repeater terminal each of which capable of receiving communications from said satellite wherein said second downlink means is comprised of a downlink converter, a decoder, and exciter and a transmitter; and

a plurality of personal receivers comprising a light-weight, portable unit with a visual display subsystem designed to convey information of at least the type of disaster, and its position relative to the user.

21. The early warning personal communication system of claim 20 where said visual display subsystem additionally comprises an audio annunciator and a test/all clear display.