Device for Locating an Individual Fallen Into the Sea

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a device for locating individuals fallen into the sea from a boat, including visual and radio locating means.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Previously known devices for locating persons adrift in the sea are of types disclosed in the following patents:

British Pat. GB 2,082,126 (SUBMEX) discloses a survival floating device including means to detect the device and a housing with means for survival and that simulates the features of a human body floating on the water, the spotting means including an intermittent lamp and a transmitting radio;

U.S. Pat. No. 2,716,961 (MANHEIM) discloses a device to color the water, so as to enable an air rescue of a person shipwrecked, the device being made by impregnating by dying a floatable resin foam;

French Pat. No. FR 2,066,624 (DROGO) discloses a device to release, from a power supply and electrical contact means, buoys to detect shipwrecked persons including a radio transmitting device and eventually a telescopic antenna extendable by a powder cartridge;

British Pat. No. GB 1,179,521 (GALLOWAY) describes a buoy type rescue device that can indicate its position by means of an external visualization lamp, either permanently or intermittently engaged by a built-in battery;

U.S. Pat. No. 2,750,027 (CUMMINGS) discloses a device for producing a visual indication by producing a colored sheet on the sea from a block of dying material that includes a means for preventing mud from clogging in order to obtain a continuous sheet.

These prior art devices all have means that include either visual devices, or radio devices, or both, or dying devices, always located either on buoys, or on independent floats of the shipwreck, but none includes all of these means on the same support.

In order to improve the benefits and effectiveness of the above mentioned devices this invention provides the user with a helmet which at the same time offers a protective function, and comprises a complete set of locating means.

Some of such locating means may be neutralized when not required (day or night).

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the helmet of the invention showing the location of places thereon of the different subassemblies integral with the device;

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the power and control device; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a different embodiment of the invention.

The device shown in the figures comprises a helmet 1 to be worn by a shipwrecked person or anyone adrift at sea, having power and control circuits located in a removable front casing 2 built into the helmet; these circuits can be located, in a variant of the invention shown in FIG. 3, at the inner top of the helmet in area (a). The removable front casing containing the power and control assembly can be removed for recharging the battery and may also contain switches to selectively disable the functions of the device. The power and control circuits (FIG. 2) include a water-sensitive micro-contact 10, automatically actuating all the control modules when contacted by water, a manual switch 6 for compensating for any failure of the micro-contact, switches 7 and 8 individually inhibiting, when open, the control modules of the visual location means, a rechargeable battery 5, the transmitting radio 9 for continuously sending signals on a certain frequency compatible with the allowed sea frequencies, the control module 11 for the intermittent signal of a xenon flash lamp 3, and control module 12 for the dye trap-door on vessel 4.

The flash lamp 3 is located on the top of the helmet in a housing closed by a transparent cap 13 and includes at its bottom a reflecting part 14.

The dye product used is also fluorescent and dissuading to aquatic assailants such as sharks. It is located in a vessel 4 that includes a trap-door operated by the control circuits allowing it to enter the ambient water.

The helmet is made, for example, of methacrylate and its total weight is about 600 grams while an authorized motorcar helmet weighs over 1 Kg. A radio receiver, centered on the frequency of the transmitter, can be placed in the boat to remotely control its functions (motor, rudder, sail unfurling) allowing it to be operated back to the transmitting point.