Patent ID: 7176832
Filing Date: 2007-02-13
Classification: B63C,G01S

Abstract:
1. A method for safety on board a vessel with which to detect a distress of one or more overboard persons, to give an immediate alert and to locate the distress precisely, so as to send prompt rescue and allow rapid recovery of the overboard person or persons, the method implementing the steps of: a) equipping each crew member or at least part of the crew with a respective individual portable radio transmitter unit, each transmitter unit regularly transmitting an identification radio signal; b) permanently scanning, by means of a radio monitoring device, reception and identification of the radio signals regularly transmitted by each individual portable transmitter; and c) automatically detecting a non-reception of a regular radio signal transmission from at least one individual portable transmitter, and upon detecting the non-reception of the regular radio signal, i) automatically recording precise positioning data given on board the vessel by a satellite Global Positioning System (GPS), the precise positioning data being recorded as soon as the non-reception of the regular signal transmission by at least one individual portable transmitter is detected, ii) automatically jettisoning at least one locator and survival radio beacon (BLS), as soon as the non-reception of the regular signal transmission from an individual portable transmitter is detected, the beacon comprising a floating body, a satellite Global Positioning system (GPS) equipment, and a radiotransmitting device transmitting radio messages containing precise positioning data given by GPS calculation equipment, and iii) displaying the automatically recorded precise positioning data so that another crew member on board can redirect the vessel to travel promptly to the exact overboard location.