GPS enabled EPIRB with integrated receiver

US8514095B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• ACR ELECTRONICS, INC. · US

Inventors

• Kerry L. Greer · Melbourne Beach, US
• Chung Tong · Boynton Beach, US
• Kaiyu Wu · Coral Springs, US
• Claudio Cassina · Hollywood, US
• Francis M. Jaruszewski · Boynton Beach, US
• Anthony Jackson-Pownall · Hollywood, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 13, 2009
• Grant date: Aug 20, 2013
• Expiry date: Sep 28, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S19/17
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) comprising an integrated wireless receiver, a graphical display device, capability to utilize both internal and external GPS coordinate sources, an infrared background lighting adjustment algorithm, and a multi-LED strobe light array. The receiver provides a return communications path back to the beacon, which is used to acknowledge the receipt of the beacon's outgoing emergency signal by Search and Rescue satellites. The display is used to visually display various operational status information as well as any received messages coming back into the receiver. The GPS receiver system switches between internally derived and/or externally supplied GPS coordinates. The present invention also incorporates an Automatic Background Light Adjustment (ABLA) algorithm to compensate for the maximum range of light intensity encountered by infrared communications LEDs during daytime and nighttime operation. Additionally, a multi-LED array is used to flash a signaling strobe in a universal hemispherical pattern.