CA2526342A1 - Aqua alert - Google Patents
Aqua alert Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2526342A1 CA2526342A1 CA 2526342 CA2526342A CA2526342A1 CA 2526342 A1 CA2526342 A1 CA 2526342A1 CA 2526342 CA2526342 CA 2526342 CA 2526342 A CA2526342 A CA 2526342A CA 2526342 A1 CA2526342 A1 CA 2526342A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- portable unit
- marking system
- base station
- alarm
- drowning
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status 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 status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G08—SIGNALLING
- G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08B21/00—Alarms responsive to a single specified undesired or abnormal condition and not otherwise provided for
- G08B21/02—Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
- G08B21/08—Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons responsive to the presence of persons in a body of water, e.g. a swimming pool; responsive to an abnormal condition of a body of water
- G08B21/088—Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons responsive to the presence of persons in a body of water, e.g. a swimming pool; responsive to an abnormal condition of a body of water by monitoring a device worn by the person, e.g. a bracelet attached to the swimmer
Abstract
A drowning alarm and position marking system is described herein. The Aqua Alert is a system for detecting the drowning of an individual and subsequent generation of an alarm to alert a parent, lifeguard or by-standers. The system consists of two different units, a portable unit worn by the swimmer and a base station which is worn by a parent/supervisor or located on the beach, pool or boat. The buoyant portable unit transmits a signal which may be ultra-sonic, sub-sonic, audio or optic, but preferably radio frequency in nature. This signal is transmitted semi continuously until the portable unit is submerged in water in which case the signal is cut off from the base station due to the attenuating effects of being submerged in water. The base station will generate an alarm such as a siren or visual means or both if the signal from the portable unit is not received for a period of approximately 10 seconds, thus operating in a fail-safe condition.
The portable unit has an on board means of sensing submersion in water and after being submerged for approximately 10 seconds will release a stored line which will allow the unit to remain attached to the drowning individual but float to the surface where both a highly reflective coating and a super high intensity LED will indicate the position of the drowning individual. Additionally, the base station shall incorporate a directional antenna and a related LED display to indicate the immediate direction of the floating portable unit. The transmitted signal from the portable unit may also be manually disabled by the swimmer resulting in the activation of the onboard marking system as well as the activation of the base station alarm. The system may also act as a proximity monitor as the base station will alarm if the swimmer's distance exceeds the transmitting range of the portable unit, which is approximately 200 feet.
The portable unit has an on board means of sensing submersion in water and after being submerged for approximately 10 seconds will release a stored line which will allow the unit to remain attached to the drowning individual but float to the surface where both a highly reflective coating and a super high intensity LED will indicate the position of the drowning individual. Additionally, the base station shall incorporate a directional antenna and a related LED display to indicate the immediate direction of the floating portable unit. The transmitted signal from the portable unit may also be manually disabled by the swimmer resulting in the activation of the onboard marking system as well as the activation of the base station alarm. The system may also act as a proximity monitor as the base station will alarm if the swimmer's distance exceeds the transmitting range of the portable unit, which is approximately 200 feet.
Description
Summary:
The object of the invention is a drowning alarm and position marking system for the purpose of alerting a parent, lifeguard or by-stander to the drowning individual as well as providing a means of quickly locating the drowning individual. This invention addresses the shortcomings of the prior art patents. Characteristics which demonstrate these shortcomings include the fact that it operates in a fail safe condition, provides a means of directing the potential rescuers to the drowning individual, provides a means of marking the position of the submerged drowning individual, acts as a proximity monitor as the base station will alarm if the swimmer is out of range, provides a means of separating portable unit transmitted signals through the use of programmable digitally-encoded-ID
or signal frequency, is simple in operation and design and is inexpensive to produce.
The system consists of two different units, a portable unit worn by the swimmer and a base station which is worn by a parent/supervisor or located on the beach, pool or boat.
The buoyant portable unit transmits a signal which may be ultra-sonic, sub-sonic, audio or optic, but preferably radio frequency in nature. This signal is transmitted semi continuously until the portable unit is submerged in water in which case the signal is cut off from the base station due to the attenuating effects of being submerged in water. The base station will generate an alarm such as a siren or visual means or both if the signal from the portable unit is not received for a period of approximately I 0 seconds, thus operating in a fail-safe condition. The portable unit has an on board means of sensing submersion in water and after being submerged for approximately 10 seconds will release a stored line which will allow the unit to remain attached to the drowning individual but float to the surface where both a highly reflective coating and a super high intensity LED
will indicate the position of the drowning individual. Additionally, the base station shall incorporate a directional antenna and a related LED display to indicate the immediate direction of the floating portable unit. The transmitted signal from the portable unit may also be manually disabled by the swimmer resulting in the activation of the onboard marking system as well as the activation of the base station alarm. The system may also act as a proximity monitor as the base station will alarm if the swimmer's distance exceeds the transmitting range of the portable unit, which is approximately 200 feet.
The object of the invention is a drowning alarm and position marking system for the purpose of alerting a parent, lifeguard or by-stander to the drowning individual as well as providing a means of quickly locating the drowning individual. This invention addresses the shortcomings of the prior art patents. Characteristics which demonstrate these shortcomings include the fact that it operates in a fail safe condition, provides a means of directing the potential rescuers to the drowning individual, provides a means of marking the position of the submerged drowning individual, acts as a proximity monitor as the base station will alarm if the swimmer is out of range, provides a means of separating portable unit transmitted signals through the use of programmable digitally-encoded-ID
or signal frequency, is simple in operation and design and is inexpensive to produce.
The system consists of two different units, a portable unit worn by the swimmer and a base station which is worn by a parent/supervisor or located on the beach, pool or boat.
The buoyant portable unit transmits a signal which may be ultra-sonic, sub-sonic, audio or optic, but preferably radio frequency in nature. This signal is transmitted semi continuously until the portable unit is submerged in water in which case the signal is cut off from the base station due to the attenuating effects of being submerged in water. The base station will generate an alarm such as a siren or visual means or both if the signal from the portable unit is not received for a period of approximately I 0 seconds, thus operating in a fail-safe condition. The portable unit has an on board means of sensing submersion in water and after being submerged for approximately 10 seconds will release a stored line which will allow the unit to remain attached to the drowning individual but float to the surface where both a highly reflective coating and a super high intensity LED
will indicate the position of the drowning individual. Additionally, the base station shall incorporate a directional antenna and a related LED display to indicate the immediate direction of the floating portable unit. The transmitted signal from the portable unit may also be manually disabled by the swimmer resulting in the activation of the onboard marking system as well as the activation of the base station alarm. The system may also act as a proximity monitor as the base station will alarm if the swimmer's distance exceeds the transmitting range of the portable unit, which is approximately 200 feet.
Claims (14)
1. A drowning alarm and position marking system comprised of a plurality of portable units each worn by a swimmer and a base station for generating a drowning alarm either worn by a parent/supervisor or located on a pool, beach or boat.
2. The drowning alarm and position marking system described in claim 1.
wherein said portable unit transmits a semi-continuous radio frequency signal which is received by said base station unless said portable unit is submerged in water whereby the transmitted signal is significantly attenuated and the base station no longer receives the transmitted signal thus operating in a fail safe condition.
wherein said portable unit transmits a semi-continuous radio frequency signal which is received by said base station unless said portable unit is submerged in water whereby the transmitted signal is significantly attenuated and the base station no longer receives the transmitted signal thus operating in a fail safe condition.
3. The drowning alarm and position marking system described in claim 1.
wherein said base station generates an alarm when the transmitted signal from said portable unit is not received for a period of approximately 10 seconds.
wherein said base station generates an alarm when the transmitted signal from said portable unit is not received for a period of approximately 10 seconds.
4. The drowning alarm and position marking system described in claim 1.
wherein said portable unit has a means for disabling it's transmitted signal manually by the swimmer thus activating the onboard marking system and base station alarm.
wherein said portable unit has a means for disabling it's transmitted signal manually by the swimmer thus activating the onboard marking system and base station alarm.
5. The drowning alarm and position marking system described in claim 1, wherein said portable unit is buoyant and self orientating in water.
6. The drowning alarm and position marking system described in claim 1.
wherein said portable unit incorporates a preferred optical means of sensing submersion in water and after being submerged for approximately 10 seconds will activate the on board marking system, releasing a stored line which will allow the unit to remain attached to the drowning individual but float to the surface where both a highly reflective coating and a super high intensity LED will indicate the position of the drowning individual.
wherein said portable unit incorporates a preferred optical means of sensing submersion in water and after being submerged for approximately 10 seconds will activate the on board marking system, releasing a stored line which will allow the unit to remain attached to the drowning individual but float to the surface where both a highly reflective coating and a super high intensity LED will indicate the position of the drowning individual.
7. The drowning alarm and position marking system described in claim 1, wherein said base station generates an alarm by means of a loud audio signal and LED
indicator.
indicator.
8. The drowning alarm and position marking system described in claim 1.
wherein said base station incorporates a directional antenna and a related LED display to indicate the immediate direction of the floating portable unit.
wherein said base station incorporates a directional antenna and a related LED display to indicate the immediate direction of the floating portable unit.
9. The drowning alarm and position marking system described in claim 1.
wherein said portable unit is attached to the swimmer via an elastic self releasing strap which is worn by the swimmer on the neck, wrist, ankle, arm, leg or head or may be clipped onto any piece of clothing worn by the swimmer.
wherein said portable unit is attached to the swimmer via an elastic self releasing strap which is worn by the swimmer on the neck, wrist, ankle, arm, leg or head or may be clipped onto any piece of clothing worn by the swimmer.
10. The drowning alarm and position marking system described in claim 1.
wherein said portable unit transmits a pulse-width modulated signal with an approximate duty cycle of 100ms ON and 1900ms OFF for the purpose of saving the energy stored in the onboard battery.
wherein said portable unit transmits a pulse-width modulated signal with an approximate duty cycle of 100ms ON and 1900ms OFF for the purpose of saving the energy stored in the onboard battery.
11. The drowning alarm and position marking system described in claim 1.
wherein said portable unit is battery operated and is housed in a watertight enclosure.
wherein said portable unit is battery operated and is housed in a watertight enclosure.
12. The drowning alarm and position marking system described in claim 1.
wherein said base station is battery operated and is housed in a watertight enclosure.
wherein said base station is battery operated and is housed in a watertight enclosure.
13. The position marking system described in claim 6. wherein said position marking system is comprised of a stored line attached at one end to said floating portable unit and at the other end to the swimmer. Upon activation of the marking system, said line is released by means of an electronic lock release mechanism thus allowing the line to freely un-spool from said portable unit and allowing said portable unit to float to the surface. Said line shall be manually re-spooled and stored in said portable unit for future reuse.
14. The drowning alarm and position marking system described in claim 1.
wherein said portable unit transmits a pulse-width modulated signal which incorporates a programmable digitally encoded ID or signal frequency to separate and identify to the related base station different transmitting portable units.
wherein said portable unit transmits a pulse-width modulated signal which incorporates a programmable digitally encoded ID or signal frequency to separate and identify to the related base station different transmitting portable units.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2526342 CA2526342A1 (en) | 2005-10-06 | 2005-10-06 | Aqua alert |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2526342 CA2526342A1 (en) | 2005-10-06 | 2005-10-06 | Aqua alert |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2526342A1 true CA2526342A1 (en) | 2007-04-06 |
Family
ID=37912340
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2526342 Abandoned CA2526342A1 (en) | 2005-10-06 | 2005-10-06 | Aqua alert |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2526342A1 (en) |
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2008082544A1 (en) * | 2006-12-22 | 2008-07-10 | Thermocline Ventures, Llc | Water alarm devices, systems and related methods |
| CN102194301A (en) * | 2011-03-18 | 2011-09-21 | 西安高新第一中学 | Automatic alarm device for swimming safety based on breath and temperature difference detection and detection method |
| CN103136901A (en) * | 2013-02-03 | 2013-06-05 | 琚燎原 | Swimming monitoring and protecting device |
| CN112309077A (en) * | 2020-09-23 | 2021-02-02 | 苏宁云计算有限公司 | Drowning alarm method and drowning alarm device for swimming pool |
-
2005
- 2005-10-06 CA CA 2526342 patent/CA2526342A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2008082544A1 (en) * | 2006-12-22 | 2008-07-10 | Thermocline Ventures, Llc | Water alarm devices, systems and related methods |
| US7554453B2 (en) | 2006-12-22 | 2009-06-30 | Thermocline Ventures Llc | Water alarm devices, systems and related methods |
| US8144020B2 (en) | 2006-12-22 | 2012-03-27 | Thermocline Ventures, Llc | Water alarm devices, systems and related methods |
| CN102194301A (en) * | 2011-03-18 | 2011-09-21 | 西安高新第一中学 | Automatic alarm device for swimming safety based on breath and temperature difference detection and detection method |
| CN103136901A (en) * | 2013-02-03 | 2013-06-05 | 琚燎原 | Swimming monitoring and protecting device |
| CN112309077A (en) * | 2020-09-23 | 2021-02-02 | 苏宁云计算有限公司 | Drowning alarm method and drowning alarm device for swimming pool |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |
Effective date: 20171005 |