Pop-up floating rod supported LED / LD composite distress signal life jacket

Abstract

The invention relates to an LED / LD composite distress signal life jacket supported by a pop-up floating rod. Comprising a pop-up buoy which is attached to the life jacket at ordinary times, three supporting rods are installed on the buoy, and the other top ends of the supporting rods are tied together. A plurality of LEDs / LDs with different wavelengths and colors are installed at the top end of the supporting rod in a composite mode to serve as a help-seeking light signal light-emitting source. When the wearer falls into water, the pop-up buoy is inflated and popped away from the life jacket. And the pop-up buoy and the life jacket are kept close to each other through the inflating pipe. When the pop-up buoy is inflated and opened, the bottom ends of the three supporting rods are opened, and the three supporting rods form a three-dimensional tripod. The power supply module is installed below the flat spherical buoy, the pop-up buoy is not affected by the body position of a person falling into water in water, and the pop-up buoy floats on the water surface autonomously in the upward direction of the supporting rod three-dimensional tripod. And the upper part of the buoy and the skirt edge are coated with a high-reflection material for light. The height from the top of the three-dimensional tripod of the supporting rod, namely the LED / LD composite position, to the water surface is 50-100 cm. The LED / LD compositely emits help-seeking light signals which have different colors, are high in brightness and high in distinguishability and can maintain normal work for at least 48 hours, so that the system is suitable for various complex water search and rescue environments, and helps to realize rapid positioning and timely rescue of people falling into water.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of lifesaving equipment and technology, specifically to a life jacket equipped with a pop-up float and a LED / LD composite distress signal. After falling into the water, regardless of the person's position in the water, the LED / LD composite distress signal light source emits a distress signal at a certain height above the water surface. This life jacket and technology for providing a distress signal are suitable for use in complex aquatic environments, particularly during daylight hours or in low-visibility conditions. Background Art

[0002] Conventional life jackets are typically equipped with a distress signal transmitter using a light source such as a light-emitting diode (LED). This light source is typically mounted directly on the life jacket, such as on the shoulder or chest area. This presents a problem: if the wearer falls into the water, there is significant uncertainty about their position in the water, and there is also significant uncertainty about whether the distress signal light source on the life jacket will remain above the water.

[0003] In addition, in terms of the light source of the distress light signal, the use of a separate LED light source has the following problems: The LED's light signal has a wide divergence angle, resulting in low light intensity. The LED's light source typically has a nearly 180-degree divergence angle, causing most of the signal's light energy to disperse at low angles near the water's surface. This makes it difficult for rescuers to detect or distinguish the distress signal against the backdrop of the water's ripples. High water vapor concentrations or wave-induced attenuation significantly reduce the signal's transmission and detection potential.

[0004] The distinguishability of the distress signal emitted by LED is poor: in daytime, complex lighting conditions, especially when visibility along the water surface is poor, the large divergence angle LED light source on the water surface is poorly distinguishable. The actual effect produced by this distress light source is similar to the flickering caused by ripples on the water surface under the ambient background light, which is difficult for search and rescue personnel to distinguish and detect.

[0005] For example, a distress signal transmitter using a single laser diode (LD) light source has a narrow beam divergence angle, eliminating the need for complex optical correction methods or devices. Its luminous solid angle is approximately 15 degrees and 30 degrees in two orthogonal directions. Compared to the 180-degree hemispherical divergence angle of a conventional LED, the intensity difference between the two beams at the same distance is as much as 60 to 70 times. Furthermore, blue and green wavelengths of laser light have strong penetration capabilities through water vapor. However, LD light sources also present a problem: their narrow beam coverage makes them difficult to detect by search and rescue teams.

[0006] Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop a technology and device that can ensure that, in all environments and circumstances, the distress signal light source on the life jacket remains above the water surface, emitting a distress signal, ensuring that the distress signal can be detected over a long field of view. The distress signal should have high brightness, high resolution, a wide beam coverage, strong durability, and high water vapor penetration to improve the success rate of searching and rescuing people who have fallen into the water. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical issues: The present invention aims to solve the following problems: once a person wearing a life jacket falls into the water, regardless of the person's body position in the water or the water conditions, the life jacket's distress signal light source can accurately maintain a certain height above the water surface and emit a distress light signal. The distress light signal should have high brightness, high distinguishability, a large beam coverage range, strong durability, and high water vapor penetration ability, so as to improve the success rate of searching and rescuing people who fall into the water. Technical solution:

[0008] The present invention provides a life jacket equipped with a distress light signal transmitter, including the following technical features: Using LED / LD combinations with multiple wavelengths, including white, yellow, red, green, and blue, the LED / LD combination is modularly mounted at or near the top of the pop-up float's struts, which are typically attached to a life jacket. When the wearer falls into the water, the pop-up float inflates and springs away from the life jacket. The pop-up float maintains close contact with the life jacket via an inflation tube. The pop-up float is unaffected by the wearer's position in the water and remains autonomously afloat. In one example, the inflated pop-up float takes on a shape resembling a hollow, oblate sphere, with three struts at its top, similar to the ribs of a folding umbrella. One end of each strut is secured to three edges of the oblate spherical pop-up float, spaced 120 degrees apart. This is called the base. The other ends of the three struts are connected to each other at a point, called the top, via a flexible connector or a piece of life jacket fabric. The LED / LD battery and control module are mounted at the bottom of the oblate spherical float. Their weight significantly outweighs the weight of the float's upper structure, which includes three support poles and the LED / LD module mounted at their tips. When the oblate spherical pop-up float is inflated, the bottom ends of the three support poles are pulled open by the float, forming a three-dimensional tripod that rises upward. The float automatically stabilizes in the water, with the bottom of the oblate spherical float (with the LED / LD battery and control module) in the water and the tripod above and pointing upward. The LED / LD module is mounted at the tops of the three support poles, or on the connectors connecting the poles or the life jacket fabric. Depending on the length of the support poles and the diameter of the oblate spherical pop-up float, the LED / LD module is positioned 50 to 100 centimeters above the water's surface. The LED / LD composite module, which serves as the light source of the distress light signal transmitter, is located at a certain height above the water surface, which can significantly reduce the impact of surface waves and ambient light background noise on the distress light signal, significantly increase its visibility, and increase the success rate of search and rescue.

[0009] The float is connected to the life jacket through an inflatable tube.

[0010] The float also has a skirt with a width of 1 to 10 cm. The upper part of the float and the skirt are coated with a material with high reflectivity to light. An example of this material is similar to the high reflective glass powder coating used on road traffic signs.

[0011] When the wearer falls into the water, the trigger rope of the life jacket is pulled, the life jacket is automatically inflated, and the pop-up float is inflated and ejected from the life jacket at the same time, and the pole support tripod equipped with the LED / LD composite module is opened.

[0012] The life jacket also has the function of automatically activating after contact with water, that is, it includes a water-sensitive switch to ensure that when the wearer falls into the water, even if the trigger rope of the life jacket fails to pull the trigger to inflate the life jacket and start the distress signal transmitter, the inflation and distress signal transmitter can still be automatically activated to work normally.

[0013] A battery and a control module control the battery's power supply to the LED / LD composite distress signal light source. The distress signal light source can operate in either continuous or intermittent flashing modes. In intermittent flashing mode, the different colored LED / LD composites flash in a predetermined color sequence or in a predetermined coded pattern. For example, a predetermined color sequence might be: blue-green-blue-green-blue+green. The intermittent flashing mode of the LED / LD composite distress signal transmitter not only significantly enhances the distinguishability of the distress signal in complex weather and water conditions, but also significantly increases the effective operating life of the battery powering the distress signal transmitter, ensuring normal operation for 48 hours or longer. For example, a 1:1 flash-to-intermittent ratio can at least double the battery's operating time. The power control module controls and varies parameters such as the flashing frequency and interval based on the battery's operating age and remaining charge. Beneficial effects of the technology applied in this invention:

[0014] High search and rescue success rate: After falling into the water, the LED / LD composite light source is positioned 50 to 100 centimeters above the water surface. This significantly reduces the impact of surface waves and ambient light background noise on the distress signal, significantly increasing its visibility and the success rate of search and rescue. The LED / LD composite light source distress signal features high brightness, high resolution, a wide beam coverage area, and strong water vapor penetration, improving the success rate of search and rescue for people who fall into the water.

[0015] Durability of distress signals: A 1-watt LED / LD composite light source requires a voltage of approximately 2.5 V and a current of 550 mA. A typical mobile phone battery pack has a capacity of 3.7 V and 5000 mA. As a distress signal source, intermittent (or flashing) operation offers higher resolution and longer battery life than continuous operation. If the LED / LD composite light source is operated at a 1:5 pulse duty cycle, a single battery pack can provide a 1-watt output for 48 hours, meeting the critical rescue time requirement. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 : Schematic diagram of a pop-up float pole supporting LED / LD composite distress signal life jacket DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the pop-up float pole supporting the LED / LD composite distress signal life jacket of the present invention. 010 is the life jacket. 020 is the pop-up float. The figure shows the float after it has been inflated and popped out. Pop-up float 020 is normally attached to life jacket 010. When inflated, the pop-up float takes the shape of a hollow oblate sphere or pot lid, with a diameter of 30 to 100 cm and a height of 10 to 30 cm. The pop-up float can also be shaped similar to a conventional life buoy, with an outer diameter of 30 to 100 cm, an inner diameter 10 to 20 cm smaller than the outer diameter, and a height of 10 to 30 cm.

[0018] The pop-up float 020 has three support rods 022, whose bottom ends 023 are fixed to the pop-up float 020, and the three rods are evenly spaced 120 degrees apart. The tops of the three support rods 022 are connected to a fixing member 028. The fixing member 028 can be a piece of life jacket fabric, a metal sheet, or a plastic sheet.

[0019] When the pop-up float is inflated and opened, the bottom ends of the three poles will be opened accordingly by the opened float, forming an upward three-dimensional tripod as shown in the figure.

[0020] The distress signal transmitter includes a combination of a light emitting diode (LED) 025 and a laser diode (LD) 029, as well as their power supply battery and a control module 026. The LED / LD combination 025 and 029 are mounted on the top fixing member 028 of the three support rods 022.

[0021] Depending on the length of the pole and the diameter of the pop-up float, the LED / LD complex is located approximately 50 to 100 cm above the water surface.

[0022] The power supply battery and control module 026 are installed at the bottom of the pop-up float 020. Figure 1 The power supply battery and control module 026 include the power supply battery of the LED / LD composite, the power switch, the water-sensitive switch and the control of the LED / LD composite flash and coding working mode, which are not shown separately in the figure. Figure 1As an example of the present invention, two LEDs 025 and two LDs 029 are used. The LEDs do not use any complex optical correction methods or devices to process their output light beams. The output laser wavelengths of the two LEDs include at least two of the following wavelengths: white, yellow, red, green, and blue, preferably white and yellow. The solid angle of emission of the distress signal beam is 180 degrees in a full hemisphere. The output laser wavelengths of the two LDs 029 include at least two of the following wavelengths: yellow, red, green, and blue, preferably blue and green, which have high water vapor penetration capabilities. The solid angle of emission of the distress signal beam is approximately 15 degrees and 30 degrees in two orthogonal directions, respectively.

[0023] The power supply battery in the power supply and control module 026 can generally be a flat battery similar to those commonly found in power banks. A single battery can provide a power supply capacity of 3.5V and 1000mA. The power supply and control module 026 can control and vary parameters such as the frequency and interval of the LED / LD composite flashes based on the battery's operating time and remaining charge, ensuring power supply during the 48-hour golden search and rescue window.

[0024] The pop-up float 020 is connected to the life jacket 010 via an inflation tube 015. The length of the inflation tube is 20 to 150 centimeters.

[0025] Because the LED / LD composite is installed above the pop-up float support pole, and the heavier power supply battery and control module 026 are installed at the bottom of the pop-up float 020, when the wearer falls into the water, the pop-up float 020 is inflated and bounces off the life jacket 010. The pop-up float 020 is not affected by the body position of the person who falls into the water. It floats on the water surface autonomously and stabilizes as a tripod formed by three support poles 022 above the water surface. Depending on the length of the support pole and the diameter of the pop-up float, the LED / LD composite 025 and 029 are located approximately 50 to 100 cm above the water surface.

[0026] The triggering and starting of the life jacket and its LED / LD composite distress light signal have a dual ensuring function. First, the life jacket has a trigger pull rope, which is pulled by the wearer in case of falling into the water to start the automatic inflation of the life jacket and the pop-up float, and to start the operation of the LED / LD composite distress signal. The trigger pull rope of the life jacket is no different from that of a conventional life jacket and will not be described in detail. Second, a water-sensitive switch is also installed in the power supply and control module 026. In the event that the wearer fails to effectively pull the trigger pull rope to start the automatic inflation of the life jacket and the pop-up float, and to start the operation of the LED / LD composite distress signal when falling into the water, the water-sensitive switch of the life jacket can still automatically start the inflation of the life jacket 010 and the pop-up float 025 and the operation of the LED / LD composite. The trigger pull rope and the water-sensitive switch are not in Figure 1 Shown in.

[0027] The pop-up float 020 can also be equipped with a skirt 030. The width of the skirt can range from 5 to 20 centimeters. The upper portion of the float 020 and the upper surface of the skirt 030 are coated with a highly reflective material, such as silver paint with reflective glass beads, to enhance the visibility and recognition of the pop-up float 020. The skirt can also be made with a corrugated shape to further increase the effective reflective coverage in all directions. Especially when searchlights or laser equipment are used to search and rescue people who have fallen into the water, the highly reflective material coated on the upper portion of the float 020 and the upper surface of the skirt 030 can significantly enhance the reflection efficiency of the searchlight or laser beam, thereby increasing the success rate of the search and rescue. An example of a highly reflective material is reflective paint with glass beads, similar to that used for traffic signs.

Claims

1. Pop-up float pole support LED / LD composite distress signal life jacket, features: The invention comprises a pop-up float which is usually attached to the life jacket. When the float is inflated and expanded, its shape is approximately a hollow oblate sphere. The float is provided with three struts. The bottom ends of the three struts are fixed to three points on the edge of the float at an interval of 120 degrees. The other top ends of the three struts are connected to each other through a fixing part or a life jacket cloth piece. When the float is inflated and expanded, the three struts expand into a three-dimensional tripod which is basically perpendicular to the float surface. A plurality of LED / LD composites with different wavelength color ranges are used as the light source of the distress signal. The LED / LD composites are installed in a modular manner at the top part of the three-dimensional tripod connected to each other by the three struts. When the wearer falls into the water, the pop-up float inflates and bounces away from the life jacket. The pop-up float and the life jacket are kept in close contact through the inflation tube. The LED / LD composite power supply battery and control module are installed at the bottom of the oblate spherical float. Its weight is significantly greater than the three struts above the float and the multiple LED / LD composites installed at the top parts of the three struts. The composite weight and pop-up float are not affected by the body position of the person who falls into the water, and floats autonomously on the water surface with the pole three-dimensional tripod upward; the pole length is matched with the float diameter so that the top of the three-dimensional tripod and the LED / LD composite are 50 to 100 cm high above the water surface; the float has a skirt with a width of 1 to 10 cm, and the upper part of the float and the upper surface of the skirt are coated with a highly reflective material.

2. The pop-up floating pole-supported LED / LD composite distress signal life jacket according to claim 1 is characterized by: The three support rods are metal rods or hollow plastic rods.

3. The pop-up floating pole-supported LED / LD composite distress signal life jacket according to claim 1 is characterized by: A fixing member connected to the top ends of the three support poles is a metal disc, which is movably connected to the top ends of the support poles; or the fixing member is a piece of life jacket fabric.

4. The pop-up floating pole-supported LED / LD composite distress signal life jacket according to claim 1 is characterized by: The different wavelength ranges of the multiple LED / LD composites are different wavelength ranges located in the red, blue and green color intervals respectively; the output laser wavelength color of the LED includes at least two of the different wavelength colors of white, yellow, red, green and blue, preferably white and yellow; the output laser wavelength color of the LD includes at least two of the different wavelength colors of yellow, red, green and blue, preferably blue and green colors with high penetrability to water vapor.

5. The pop-up floating pole-supported LED / LD composite distress signal life jacket according to claim 1 is characterized by: Using flat battery, the power supply battery and control module provide intermittent or flashing power supply control to the LED / LD composite, ensuring the normal operation of the distress signal during the 48-hour golden search and rescue time.

6. The pop-up floating pole-supported LED / LD composite distress signal life jacket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The triggering and activation of the life jacket and its distress light signal have dual ensuring functions: the life jacket is triggered by the wearer pulling the pull rope, and after being pulled, the life jacket and the pop-up float with a long arm are automatically inflated and the distress light signal light source is activated; and the water-sensitive switch can automatically activate the inflation of the life jacket and the pop-up float with a long arm and the distress light signal light source when encountering water.

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