WO1995012869A1 - Warning device - Google Patents

Warning device Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1995012869A1
WO1995012869A1 PCT/NZ1994/000124 NZ9400124W WO9512869A1 WO 1995012869 A1 WO1995012869 A1 WO 1995012869A1 NZ 9400124 W NZ9400124 W NZ 9400124W WO 9512869 A1 WO9512869 A1 WO 9512869A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
beacon
warning device
audible
receiver
signal
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/NZ1994/000124
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Kenneth Herbert Hay
Original Assignee
Personal Safety Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Personal Safety Limited filed Critical Personal Safety Limited
Priority to AU80683/94A priority Critical patent/AU8068394A/en
Publication of WO1995012869A1 publication Critical patent/WO1995012869A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
    • G08B7/00—Signalling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00; Personal calling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00
    • G08B7/06—Signalling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00; Personal calling systems according to more than one of groups G08B3/00 - G08B6/00 using electric transmission, e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S1/00—Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith
    • G01S1/02—Beacons or beacon systems transmitting signals having a characteristic or characteristics capable of being detected by non-directional receivers and defining directions, positions, or position lines fixed relatively to the beacon transmitters; Receivers co-operating therewith using radio waves
    • G01S1/022—Means for monitoring or calibrating
    • G01S1/024—Means for monitoring or calibrating of beacon transmitters

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a warning device for use in conjunction with emergency locator beacons of the type used on aircraft and boats.
  • An emergency locator beacon is designed, when activated, to emit a radio frequency signal; this beam is picked up by a satellite installation which in turn is arranged to trigger an alarm at a central ground control location.
  • an emergency signal from an emergency locator beacon is notified to the main centre in Australia which processes the signal to give a location for the beacon which has been triggered and which forwards details to the local control area.
  • the local control area then takes appropriate measures to institute searches and emergency rescue operations.
  • TJ incidental or inadvertent triggering of an emergency locator beacon is a major prt. ,em:- obviously to be of any use in emergency situations, the beacon must be relatively easy to trigger, but unfortunately the beacon gives no audible indication to the person actually using the beacon that the beacon has been triggered. Some beacons give a visible indication of triggering, but this indicator is fixed to the beacon and is not easily apparent to e.g. the crew of the aircraft or boat. Thus, if the triggering has been accidental, the user may find himself at the centre of an emergency operation which is quite unnecessary and an expensive and embarrassing mistake.
  • a further problem is caused by the fact that emergency locator beacons fitted in aircraft normally are provided with a gravity switch which is triggered automatically if the aircraft hits the ground at a speed over a certain pre-set threshold speed. This feature is desirable, because it means that when aircraft crash and the people in the aircraft are too severely injured to trigger the beacon, or are dead, the wreck can still be located.
  • the gravity switch frequently is triggered simply by an aircraft making a rather hard landing or being jolted in some way, and the pilot and crew have no means of knowing that this has happened, unless they physically check the beacon after each landing.
  • Emergency locator beacons preferably are stored in safe and secure storage where they cannot easily be damaged, and hence are not always readily visible to users.
  • the present invention provides a warning device comprising: a radio receiver adapted to receive a signal in the frequency range emitted by an emergency distress beacon, over a predetermined distance; said receiver being connected to audible and/or visible alarm devices such that reception of a radio signal by the receiver activates the or each said alarm device.
  • said radio receiver is connected to both an audible and a visible alarm device.
  • the visible alarm is a light-emitting diode display
  • the audible alarm is a piezo siren.
  • other suitable visible/audible alarms may be used.
  • An emergency locator beacon is designed, when triggered, to emit a radio-frequency signal, typically a modulated 121.5 mega Hertz signal, which is picked up by a satellite installation in known manner, as described above.
  • a warning device 2 comprises a radio frequency receiver 3 which is tuned to receive a 121.5 mHz signal (i.e. the emergency signal frequency).
  • the receiver 3 is connected both to an LED (light-emitting diode) display 4 and to a piezo siren 5, such that if the receiver 3 picks up a signal in the selected frequency range, it immediately activates both LED display 4 and the siren 5.
  • the device 2 may be mains and/or battery powered.
  • the receiver 3 has a range of about 20 metres radius. Thus, if any emergency beacon within that radius is triggered, the receiver will automatically emit both a flashing light signal and an audible signal, to alert the user to the fact that a beacon has been triggered. The light signal and siren continue until the beacon is switched off.
  • the receiver, LED and siren are contained in a single housing 6 to give a small compact unit which conveniently can be mounted e.g. on an aircraft or boat control panel or in an aircraft hanger or boatyard or shop, so that the warning device is readily audible/visible.
  • the emergency locator beacon itself may be stored in any convenient place, and need not be readily visible to the users.
  • a warning device will be activated if any beacon within range of the warning device is triggered, locations where many beacons are used or stored (e.g. aircraft hangers or ships' chandlers) may use a single warning device to indicate whether any of the beacons has been triggered.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Transmitters (AREA)

Abstract

A warning device (2) which is physically separate from an emergency locator beacon but shich automatically gives an audible and/or visible warning when the beacon is triggered; the device comprises a radio receiver (3) arranged to receive the beacon's signal and to activate audible and/or visible alarms if such a signal is received.

Description

TITLE: WARNING DEVICE Technical Field
The present invention relates to a warning device for use in conjunction with emergency locator beacons of the type used on aircraft and boats. An emergency locator beacon is designed, when activated, to emit a radio frequency signal; this beam is picked up by a satellite installation which in turn is arranged to trigger an alarm at a central ground control location. In the Australasian region, an emergency signal from an emergency locator beacon is notified to the main centre in Canberra which processes the signal to give a location for the beacon which has been triggered and which forwards details to the local control area. The local control area then takes appropriate measures to institute searches and emergency rescue operations.
Background Art
TJ incidental or inadvertent triggering of an emergency locator beacon is a major prt. ,em:- obviously to be of any use in emergency situations, the beacon must be relatively easy to trigger, but unfortunately the beacon gives no audible indication to the person actually using the beacon that the beacon has been triggered. Some beacons give a visible indication of triggering, but this indicator is fixed to the beacon and is not easily apparent to e.g. the crew of the aircraft or boat. Thus, if the triggering has been accidental, the user may find himself at the centre of an emergency operation which is quite unnecessary and an expensive and embarrassing mistake.
A further problem is caused by the fact that emergency locator beacons fitted in aircraft normally are provided with a gravity switch which is triggered automatically if the aircraft hits the ground at a speed over a certain pre-set threshold speed. This feature is desirable, because it means that when aircraft crash and the people in the aircraft are too severely injured to trigger the beacon, or are dead, the wreck can still be located. However, the gravity switch frequently is triggered simply by an aircraft making a rather hard landing or being jolted in some way, and the pilot and crew have no means of knowing that this has happened, unless they physically check the beacon after each landing. Emergency locator beacons preferably are stored in safe and secure storage where they cannot easily be damaged, and hence are not always readily visible to users.
Some of the newer designs of emergency beacons have a built-in warning device which indicate visually when the beacon has been triggered, but the commonly-available older designs of emergency beacons do not include this feature.
Disclosure of Invention
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a warning device which is capable of giving a user a visible and/or audible signal that an emergency locator beacon has been triggered, and which is physically separate from said beacon.
The present invention provides a warning device comprising: a radio receiver adapted to receive a signal in the frequency range emitted by an emergency distress beacon, over a predetermined distance; said receiver being connected to audible and/or visible alarm devices such that reception of a radio signal by the receiver activates the or each said alarm device.
Preferably, said radio receiver is connected to both an audible and a visible alarm device.
Preferably the visible alarm is a light-emitting diode display, and the audible alarm is a piezo siren. However, other suitable visible/audible alarms may be used.
Brief Description of the Drawing
By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in ff..**33 ii ddeettaaiill wwiitthh rreeffeerreennccee ttoo tthhee aaccccoommppaannyyiinngg ddrraawwiinngg** wwhhuich shows a block diagram of a warning device in accordance with the present invention.
Best Mode of Carrying Out Invention
An emergency locator beacon is designed, when triggered, to emit a radio-frequency signal, typically a modulated 121.5 mega Hertz signal, which is picked up by a satellite installation in known manner, as described above. Referring to the drawing, a warning device 2 comprises a radio frequency receiver 3 which is tuned to receive a 121.5 mHz signal (i.e. the emergency signal frequency). The receiver 3 is connected both to an LED (light-emitting diode) display 4 and to a piezo siren 5, such that if the receiver 3 picks up a signal in the selected frequency range, it immediately activates both LED display 4 and the siren 5. The device 2 may be mains and/or battery powered.
The receiver 3 has a range of about 20 metres radius. Thus, if any emergency beacon within that radius is triggered, the receiver will automatically emit both a flashing light signal and an audible signal, to alert the user to the fact that a beacon has been triggered. The light signal and siren continue until the beacon is switched off.
The receiver, LED and siren are contained in a single housing 6 to give a small compact unit which conveniently can be mounted e.g. on an aircraft or boat control panel or in an aircraft hanger or boatyard or shop, so that the warning device is readily audible/visible. Thus, the emergency locator beacon itself may be stored in any convenient place, and need not be readily visible to the users.
Since a warning device will be activated if any beacon within range of the warning device is triggered, locations where many beacons are used or stored (e.g. aircraft hangers or ships' chandlers) may use a single warning device to indicate whether any of the beacons has been triggered.

Claims

CLAIMS:
1. A warning device for indicating that an emergency locator beacon has been triggered, characterised in that said warning device is physically separate from said beacon and comprises a radio receiver adapted to receive a signal in the frequency range emitted by an emergency distress beacon, said receiver being connected to audible and/or visible alarm devices such that reception of a radio signal by the receiver activates the or each said alarm device.
2. The warning device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said receiver is connected to both audible and visible alarm devices.
3. The warning device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said audible alarm device is a piezo siren.
4. The warning device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said visible alarm device is a light-emitting diode display.
5. A warning device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.
PCT/NZ1994/000124 1993-11-05 1994-11-04 Warning device WO1995012869A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU80683/94A AU8068394A (en) 1993-11-05 1994-11-04 Warning device

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NZ250144 1993-11-05
NZ25014493 1993-11-05

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1995012869A1 true WO1995012869A1 (en) 1995-05-11

Family

ID=19924557

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/NZ1994/000124 WO1995012869A1 (en) 1993-11-05 1994-11-04 Warning device

Country Status (2)

Country Link
AU (1) AU8068394A (en)
WO (1) WO1995012869A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2348081A (en) * 1999-03-17 2000-09-20 Stanley Peter Mcnally Alarm apparatus

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3988724A (en) * 1975-07-17 1976-10-26 David John Anderson Theft alarm
US4057790A (en) * 1974-05-24 1977-11-08 George William Fleming Personal aid signalling system
US4598272A (en) * 1984-08-06 1986-07-01 Cox Randall P Electronic monitoring apparatus
US5196825A (en) * 1991-12-16 1993-03-23 Young James T Personal security apparatus
GB2261788A (en) * 1991-09-26 1993-05-26 Ist Lab Ltd A location system
US5343189A (en) * 1992-11-10 1994-08-30 Alley Sr Ronald S Signal assembly removably attachable to handle of ski tow rope

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4057790A (en) * 1974-05-24 1977-11-08 George William Fleming Personal aid signalling system
US3988724A (en) * 1975-07-17 1976-10-26 David John Anderson Theft alarm
US4598272A (en) * 1984-08-06 1986-07-01 Cox Randall P Electronic monitoring apparatus
GB2261788A (en) * 1991-09-26 1993-05-26 Ist Lab Ltd A location system
US5196825A (en) * 1991-12-16 1993-03-23 Young James T Personal security apparatus
US5343189A (en) * 1992-11-10 1994-08-30 Alley Sr Ronald S Signal assembly removably attachable to handle of ski tow rope

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2348081A (en) * 1999-03-17 2000-09-20 Stanley Peter Mcnally Alarm apparatus
GB2348081B (en) * 1999-03-17 2002-01-23 Stanley Peter Mcnally An alarm apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU8068394A (en) 1995-05-23

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US6057759A (en) Marine personnel monitoring, overboard detection, alert and rescue system
US5886635A (en) Overboard alarm with localization system interface
US6288651B1 (en) Portable roadway perimeter alarm
US3988724A (en) Theft alarm
US6166627A (en) Mobile detection and alert system
US20060148423A1 (en) Systems for locating and identifying victims of manmade or natural disasters
US5216407A (en) Prealarm system for an anti-theft alarm
US7855654B2 (en) Location recording system
EP1719084B1 (en) Improvements in aircraft doors
US5939988A (en) Child proximity monitor and alarm
US4850031A (en) Avalanche victim locating apparatus
US7005980B1 (en) Personal rescue system
KR101785744B1 (en) Passive safety system and personal equipment on vessels for man-overboard situations
US7612686B1 (en) Emergency underwater notification device
JP2001521461A (en) Wireless control engine stop switch
WO2006020130A2 (en) Water safety device
US4520351A (en) Passive personal alarm device
WO2002077943A1 (en) A closed user group alarm management system with a global distress search and rescue fallback facility
US7940166B2 (en) Emergency assistance beacon signal methodology and system for law enforcement, emergency and military personnel
US10329001B2 (en) Distress device of lifejacket
WO1995012869A1 (en) Warning device
US7394384B2 (en) Personal locator beacon
EP3100650A1 (en) Smart mailbox
GB1595788A (en) Warning systems
GB2449633A (en) Portable smoke and carbon monoxide with personal location beacon.

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AM AT AU BB BG BR BY CA CH CN CZ DE DK EE ES FI GB GE HU JP KE KG KP KR KZ LK LR LT LU LV MD MG MN MW NL NO PL PT RO RU SD SE SI SK TJ TT UA US UZ VN

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): KE MW SD SZ AT BE CH DE DK ES FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN ML MR NE SN TD TG

121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application
122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase
NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: CA

REG Reference to national code

Ref country code: DE

Ref legal event code: 8642