Patent Publication Number: US-2012034592-A1

Title: Dummy comprising a positioning system for assistance in rescue operations for people and ships in the sea

Description:
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a device configured to search for shipwreck victims and ships during rescue operations, consisting, in general terms, of a dummy or generally any model representing the main physical characteristics of a person such as weight, size, shape, dimensions, etc., with a minimum accuracy. Said dummy will have incorporated a positioning system such as a GPS or the like resistant to the damaging effects of the water, possible blows and bad weather, a bag therein making sinking the dummy to subsequently refloating it by means of the automatic inflation of said bag possible, as well as the inclusion of a compartment inside the dummy which allows housing a small survival kit in the anticipation of the possibility that a shipwreck victim who is being searched for locates the device and can thus obtain aid prior to the arrival of the rescue team. 
     The objective of said features will be increasing the similarity of the device behaviour with respect to human body behaviour and they will offer new performances which will make it possible to increase shipwreck victim survival probabilities. 
     The most immediate purpose of the device is to serve as a guide to the rescue team in the event that there is a search situation for people at sea, serving at the same time to locate any type of ship which must be searched for at sea as a result of a shipwreck, an air accident or similar situations. 
     Located in the outer part of the boat, one or several of them are launched into the water in the event of a shipwreck, such that, given the similarity with human body, there are high probabilities that both bodies are directed to the same site or to nearby sites, which will allow ruling out large search areas when trying to locate it. Likewise, a rescue team which must leave the scene of the event due to bad climatological conditions can launch several of them to subsequently obtain vital information for performing the search. 
     These devices on board an aircraft which has fallen into the sea will serve to facilitate both locating the accident site and for the search of the people who were on board. 
     The simplicity of the proposed device together with the savings achieved by using it make the present invention a very useful and easy-to-implement element to solve searches at sea. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The application field of this invention is within the field of safety equipment manufacturing industry, especially within the field of maritime safety. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Shipwrecks still commonly happen today with relative frequency, especially within the fishing sector with several every year. These events are caused by a range of causes, the most common causes including the opening of waterways, the instability of the ship, adverse meteorological effects (storms and hurricanes), fog obstructing sight and human errors. 
     Most of the time, shipwreck victim rescue is very difficult due to adverse climatic conditions (wind, fog, rain . . . ), or to any other special condition hindering the rescue team from working, leading to the fact that in many occasions not all shipwreck victims are rescued fast enough, such that the location of some people is lost and subsequent search operations must be performed once the environmental condition have improved. On other occasions, the rescue simply does not reach the event site on time and the search must be started immediately. 
     The operation for searching for people at sea is performed by rescue services plotting concentric circles of increasing diameter centered in the last known position of the shipwreck. Given the difficulty of knowing the behaviour of the sea and wind currents in the exact time when each man falls into the water, as well as the effect thereof on the bodies which are swept out, all the points equidistant from the shipwreck are assigned the same possibility that the rescue target is found therein. The device described in said main patent described a device serving as a guide in locating shipwreck victims such that significant statistical information of the most probable location where the targets can be found is provided. 
     In search of the highest possible similarity of the present device with a human body, an improvement consisting of a compartment arranged inside the dummy which allows it to sink when filled with water, thus covering the possibility that the shipwreck victim searched for has drown and sunk, is implemented. This compartment could also be emptied after a predetermined time, making refloating possible. Different documents describing devices which can be inflated manually or automatically which allow maintaining a human body afloat are known, although it is evident that all these inventions are conceived according to an objective different from that which is sought with this improvement of the invention. Therefore, the proprietor of the present specification is unaware of any device or similar configuration intended to allow sinking and refloating a dummy or a human body. 
     The device further has one or several compartments inside the dummy which will house a survival kit, it has been developed based on the fact that there is a high probability that the shipwreck victim can contact the dummy since they have to follow the same path before the arrival of the rescue teams. Similarly with the aforementioned improvement, given the novelty of the object of the main patent, the existence of any document relating to the inclusion of one or several compartments inside the dummy aimed at providing aid to the shipwreck victim is unknown up to today. 
     The search system described and used by the current rescue teams obviously involves a waste of the rescue team&#39;s time which can be a deciding factor of whether the people searched for will be located dead or alive since they are in a very vulnerable situation with the constant risk of suffering from hypothermia or fainting from exhaustion. Therefore, in the current state of the art the appearance of some device which facilitates search tasks and reduces rescue times would be desirable. 
     There have been shipwreck cases in which the ship has completely disappeared or the recovery of only large or small sized parts of the ship has been possible. Likewise, in the case of aircrafts which fall into the sea, it is common that there are great difficulties in recovering them. This causes considerable damage to the ship owner who will not able to receive the compensations agreed on with his insurance company unless he demonstrates that the shipwreck occurred. A device such as the one proposed in the present specification would greatly simplify the formalities with insurance companies by providing valuable information as to the possible whereabouts of the ship and it can further serve as evidence of the shipwreck in the event that the recovery thereof is impossible. 
     The author of the present specification is unaware of the existence of any device which resolves even in part the problems discussed in the paragraphs above, thus considering that the proposed invention is an obvious novelty with respect to that already known today. 
     The present invention serves as a valuable element for aiding in search situations for searching for people at sea, providing significant statistical information of the most probable location where the targets can be found, which with its use will involve a reduction of time needed to locate the people, entailing fewer casualties in these events and substantial savings for the rescue services in both material and economic means. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The proposed device is configured as a dummy or any other model feigning a human body which will imitate with the highest accuracy possible the main physiological characteristics such as the dimensions, shape, weight, floatability, clothing, etc., largely determining the behaviour of a body in water. 
     The dummy will also have a positioning system such as a GPS or the like and a signal transmitter which allows indicating to a receiver its exact position at all times, a compartment hereinafter known as “lung” will preferably be housed in the chest of the dummy, it is provided with an opening valve which will have therein an impermeable inflatable bag, a compressed gas tank and an activation system which will include a programmable timer as well as, optionally, a signal receiver allowing the remote activation. 
     This “lung” is basically configured as a compartment (compartment is understood as any type of inner cavity inside the dummy) which by means of the timed opening of the valve could be flooded with seawater. This compartment will allow the entrance of between 6 and 8 liters of water such that once it is filled up, the dummy will sink, imitating the behaviour of a drowned person. The timer must be programmed according to the environment such that when there is the possibility that the shipwreck victim to be located has sunk, the activation system opens the valve allowing the filling of the compartment. 
     Once the dummy is to be recovered, or given the eventual possibility that the body searched for has risen to the surface, the inflation of the bag must be activated by means of the gas tank arranged therein, any other inflation system for inflating the bag being valid. The increase in the volume of the bag will displace the water contained in the compartment through the valve which remains permanently open after its initial opening, thus allowing refloating the dummy. 
     The inflation of the bag could be timed at the same time as the opening of the valve, or the activation order could be given from a remote control in the event that it has a remote activation system. 
     It will also have one or several compartments which will house a rescue kit and support materials for aiding the shipwreck victim. As has been discussed, this improvement anticipates the possibility that the shipwreck victim, object of the rescue, successfully contacts the dummy before the arrival of the rescue teams. 
     It thus provides crucial aid for the shipwreck victim, who can thus have food supplies, chemical heat generators to prevent hypothermia, floatability elements, radio transmitters or any other type of element which can be useful in this type of situations. 
     Said compartments will be clearly marked such that they can be easily located by a person who finds the device, and they must be watertight to the extent that the materials housed therein are capable of withstanding low temperatures and the action of the water. 
     This kit will be arranged inside the dummy, within an impermeable cover which protects it from the seawater, bad weather and from the possible blows which may destroy it. 
     Thus, this device could accomplish its function as a rescue guiding element in various situations to be described below. 
     The dummy is located in one or several points inside the wrecked boat, accessible from the outside of the boat and prepared to be launched if any man falls into the water. In that case, the two bodies having similar characteristics and in one and the same environment will be moved in a similar manner in the water, being located in nearby sites which the locator will record to show to the rescue team. 
     It must be pointed out that the dummy with the locator will be arranged in a visible site of a legend where the main data of the ship to which it belongs such as name, emblem, registration number, etc., will appear. This will facilitate locating the ship and will serve to, in the event of it being impossible to recover it, a possible justification with insurance companies of the event occurred and the subsequent collection of the relevant compensations. 
     Within a boat or a helicopter of a rescue team, the launch of several of these dummies into the water will be highly convenient such that in the event that not all shipwreck victims are successfully rescued in a first attempt, a statistical estimation of the possible location of the remaining bodies is obtained. 
     Within an aircraft, incorporating an automatic activation system will serve to locate both aircraft itself as well as the passengers in the event that it falls into the sea. 
     This device, given its simplicity of use and its relatively low cost in contrast with the benefits it provides, will be an obvious advance in terms of maritime safety. 
     It must be indicated that the dummy forming the main body of the device could further incorporate determined improvements such as the fact that it has a remote inflatable life jacket facilitating the recovery thereof once its use has ended for a subsequent reuse. 
     It is very recommendable for the dummy to incorporate a fireproof protection such that in the event of a fire which causing the shipwreck, this element may withstand the flames and suitably accomplish its task. However, it is not a necessary condition for the operation of the device. 
     The incorporation of an automatic activator which will activate the positioning and transmission system when the latter is moved away from its normal location outside the boat, this being achieved by mechanical means, electrical means, magnetic means or whatever means commonly used for the automatic startup of equipment and systems is very important. This automatic activation element will allow the operation of the device in cases where there is no time for manual activation, such as for example in boat collisions or in an air accident. 
     The possibility of applying reflective or phosphorescent surfaces in the dummy aiding in locating it in situations with poor visibility and the possibility of incorporating therein some small survival kit such that it can serve to aid the shipwreck victim in case he/she locates the dummy before the arrival of the rescue thereof, is also anticipated. Likewise, the incorporation in the dummy of one or several belts which will have an end stitched to the dummy itself, having a snaphook at the other end, and which will serve, in the event that a shipwreck victim locates the dummy, so that he/she can be attached to it such that he/she can be supported on it and furthermore be located by remaining close to the device. 
     Another improvement incorporated to the present invention consisting of a permanent illumination illuminating the dummy by means of fiber optic tube regularly distributed throughout the outer surface of said dummy such that it is supplied by a small battery must be mentioned, said tubes forming a series of luminous edges facilitating the locating of the invention to the naked eye. 
     The described dummy with a locator thus represents an innovative structure having structural and constitutive features unknown up until now for such purposes, fro which reasons, in addition to its practical use, it is provided with sufficient foundation to obtain the exclusive privilege that is sought. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       To complement the description being made and for the purpose of facilitating better understanding of the features of the invention, a set of illustrative and non-limiting drawings is attached as an integral part of said description which will be described below: 
         FIG. 1  shows a sectioned view of the dummy where the inclusion of a “lung”, as well as two extra compartments housing a small rescue kit and the receptacle to house the positioning and transmission system can be observed. 
         FIG. 2  shows a sectioned view of the dummy where the receptacle to house the self-inflatable life jacket is seen. 
         FIG. 3  shows a scheme of the operation of the “lung”. 
     
    
    
     PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the mentioned drawings and according to the reference numbers used, a preferred embodiment of the invention which comprises the parts and elements indicated and described in detail below which do not attempt in any manner to limit the scope of the invention can be observed therein. 
     There is arranged on a dummy ( 1 ) made of a material or a mixture of materials having a density similar to that of the human body such as synthetic resins, rubber and other plastics, and articulated in a manner imitating a human body, a receptacle ( 16 ) with an impermeable cover which offers a certain level of mechanical protection for its interior, it has a positioning system by means of a GPS ( 17 ), as well as a transmitter ( 18 ) which will send a signal which will be captured by a receiver prepared for such purpose. 
     It will have a self-inflatable life jacket ( 19 ) therein which will be activated by means of the transmitter when the latter receives a determined signal. Close to the jacket ( 19 ) there is arranged the hook for placing it in its common location, being in this same place where it has a self-activation mechanism ( 20 ) consisting of, in this example, a tensor which will start the device when it is pulled on with a particular force, the device being kept shut off while it is not used such that it is always assured that the batteries are being completely charged for their use at any time. It also has manual activation means. 
     The dummy ( 1 ) will be dressed in the typical clothing of the boat workers or crew to assimilate the dummy to them to the greatest extent possible. Having sufficiently described the nature of the present invention as well as a way of carrying it out to practice, it is not considered necessary to further describe the invention so that any person skilled in the art can comprehend the scope thereof and advantages derived from it, it must be mentioned that it could be carried out to practice within its essential nature in other embodiments which differ in detail from that indicated by way of an example, which will also achieve the obtained protection provided that its fundamental principle is neither altered, changed nor modified. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the dummy with the positioning system to aid in people rescue operations at sea comprises: a compartment known as a “lung” ( 2 ) consisting of a cylindrical-shaped cavity ( 3 ) with 20 liters of capacity inside the dummy ( 1 ) and which has a water inlet ( 8 ) regulated by means of an opening valve ( 9 ). Said valve ( 9 ) is shaped like a hole ( 10 )  1  cm in diameter which is connected to the outside by means of a conduit ( 12 ) of the same diameter made of plastic material, which conduit is covered by a thin copper sheet ( 11 ) attached by means of a conductor wire to the activation system ( 4 ). The opening happens when said system sends an electric current capable of deforming the sheet ( 1 ) and allowing the entrance of water. 
     It has a bag ( 5 ) made of material impermeable attached to a small compressed gas tank ( 6 ) inside the “lung” ( 2 ). When the activation system ( 4 ) opens the tank ( 6 ) (sending an electric signal causing the closure break and the gas to be discharged), the gas immediately inflates the bag ( 5 ), displacing the water contained therein and making the floatation of the dummy ( 1 ) possible. 
     This activation system ( 4 ) will have a programmable timer ( 13 ) which will allow predetermining the opening time for sinking and the time which must lapse until refloating. It will also have a signal receiver ( 13 ) which will allow the activation of the described remote elements. 
     It has another compartment ( 7 ) intended for housing a small rescue kit ( 15 ) that is duly packaged to be able to be introduced therein. Said compartment is formed by a cylindrical shaped watertight cavity ( 14 ) which is accessed by means of removing a cover existing in a leg of the dummy ( 1 ). 
     Both the compartment ( 7 ) by itself and the handle for removing the cover are clearly marked with bright colored and/or fluorescent indications. 
     Having sufficiently described the nature of the present invention, it must be mentioned that it could be carried out to practice within its essential nature in other embodiments which differ in detail from that indicated by way of example, which will also achieve the obtained protection provided that its fundamental principle is neither altered, changed nor modified.