Claims
- 1. An electronic device for sensing the proximity of a transportation vessel, comprising:
a control system; a frequency detector coupled to said control system for receiving a frequency signal indicative of the proximity of the transportation vessel; and a frequency generator coupled to said control system; said control system capable of determining whether said frequency detector is operating properly by causing said frequency generator to emit a self-check signal having a frequency substantially the same as said frequency signal and determining if said frequency detector was received by said self-check signal.
- 2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said frequency detector is comprised from the group consisting of a magnetic sensor and a capacitance sensor.
- 3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said frequency detector further comprises an amplifier that amplifies and filters said frequency signal to remove noise from said frequency signal to form a conditioned frequency signal.
- 4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein said conditioned frequency signal is input into a threshold detector and said control system so that said control system is capable of determining if said conditioned frequency signal is above a threshold value indicative of the proximity of the transportation vessel.
- 5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said frequency signal is input into a threshold detector included in said frequency detector wherein said control system is capable of determining if said frequency signal is above a threshold value indicative of the proximity of the transportation vessel.
- 6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a field-emitting device coupled to said control system wherein said control system deactivates said field-emitting device when said frequency detector receives said frequency signal.
- 7. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a field-emitting device coupled to said control system wherein said control system reduces the power in said field-emitting device when said frequency detector receives said frequency signal.
- 8. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a field-emitting device coupled to said control system wherein said control system decouples the power in said field-emitting device when said frequency detector receives said frequency signal.
- 9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said frequency detector comprises three antennas positioned in three different dimensions with respect to each other that are capable of receiving said frequency signal so that said frequency detector is capable of detecting said frequency signal regardless of the orientation of said frequency detector.
- 10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein said frequency detector further comprises a summer that sums said frequency signals received by said antennas.
- 11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said control system is comprised from the group consisting of a microprocessor, a micro-controller, a switch, and a transistor.
- 12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said frequency detector is comprised of coils and a tuned circuit to determine the presence of said frequency signal.
- 13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said frequency signal is comprised of a frequency of around about 400 Hz.
- 14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said control system causes said frequency generator to emit a band of frequencies to determine if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein said control system reports an error to a remote site if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 16. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein said control system causes said frequency generator to emit a band of frequencies to determine if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein said control system adjusts said threshold detector is said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 18. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said frequency detector comprises a PLL circuit to detect said frequency signal and to generate a signal to said control system indicative of the locked condition of said frequency signal indicative of the proximity of the transportation vessel.
- 19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein said PLL circuit comprises:
a converter to receive said frequency signal; a phase and frequency comparator to receive an output signal from said converter; and a filter and VCO that receives an output signal from said phase and frequency comparator indicative of the difference in phase between said frequency signal and said VCO; said VCO generates an output signal that is fed back into said phase and frequency comparator.
- 20. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said control system is associated with a device from the group consisting of a cellular phone, a PDA, a laptop computer, and an electronic device associated with a shipping container.
- 21. An electronic device for sensing the proximity of an intrinsically-safe area, comprising:
a control system; a frequency detector coupled to said control system for receiving a frequency signal indicative of the proximity of the intrinsically-safe area; and a frequency generator coupled to said control system; said control system capable of determining whether said frequency detector is operating properly by causing said frequency generator to emit a self-check signal having a frequency substantially the same as said frequency signal and determining if said frequency detector was received by said self-check signal.
- 22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein said frequency detector is comprised from the group consisting of a magnetic sensor and a capacitance sensor.
- 23. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein said frequency detector further comprises an amplifier that amplifies and filters said frequency signal to remove noise from said frequency signal to form a conditioned frequency signal.
- 24. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein said conditioned frequency signal is input into a threshold detector and said control system so that said control system is capable of determining if said conditioned frequency signal is above a threshold value indicative of the proximity of the intrinsically-safe area.
- 25. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein said frequency signal is input into a threshold detector included in said frequency detector wherein said control system is capable of determining if said frequency signal is above a threshold value indicative of the proximity of the intrinsically-safe area.
- 26. The electronic device of claim 21, further comprising a field-emitting device coupled to said control system wherein said control system deactivates said field-emitting device when said frequency detector receives said frequency signal.
- 27. The electronic device of claim 21, further comprising a field-emitting device coupled to said control system wherein said control system reduces the power in said field-emitting device when said frequency detector receives said frequency signal.
- 28. The electronic device of claim 21, further comprising a field-emitting device coupled to said control system wherein said control system decouples the power in said field-emitting device when said frequency detector receives said frequency signal.
- 29. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein said frequency detector comprises three antennas positioned in three different dimensions with respect to each other that are capable of receiving said frequency signal so that said frequency detector is capable of detecting said frequency signal regardless of the orientation of said frequency detector.
- 30. The electronic device of claim 29, wherein said frequency detector further comprises a summer that sums said frequency signals received by said antennas.
- 31. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein said control system is comprised from the group consisting of a microprocessor, a micro-controller, a switch, and a transistor.
- 32. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein said frequency detector is comprised of coils and a tuned circuit to determine the presence of said frequency signal.
- 33. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein said frequency signal is comprised of a frequency of around about 400 Hz.
- 34. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein said control system causes said frequency generator to emit a band of frequencies to determine if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 35. The electronic device of claim 34, wherein said control system reports an error to a remote site if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 36. The electronic device of claim 25, wherein said control system causes said frequency generator to emit a band of frequencies to determine if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 37. The electronic device of claim 36, wherein said control system adjusts said threshold detector is said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 38. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein said frequency detector comprises a PLL circuit to detect said frequency signal and to generate a signal to said control system indicative of the locked condition of said frequency signal indicative of the proximity of the intrinsically-safe area.
- 39. The electronic device of claim 38, wherein said PLL circuit comprises:
a converter to receive said frequency signal; a phase and frequency comparator to receive an output signal from said converter; and a filter and VCO that receives an output signal from said phase and frequency comparator indicative of the difference in phase between said frequency signal and said VCO; said VCO generates an output signal that is fed back into said phase and frequency comparator.
- 40. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein said control system is associated with a device from the group consisting of a cellular phone, a PDA, a laptop computer, and an electronic device associated with a shipping container.
- 41. A transportation vessel detection system, comprising:
an electronic device containing a control system; a frequency detector coupled to said control system for receiving a frequency signal indicative of when said container is in proximity to the transportation vessel; and a frequency generator coupled to said control system; said control system capable of determining whether said frequency detector is operating properly by causing said frequency generator to emit a self-check signal having a frequency substantially the same as said frequency signal and determining if said frequency detector received said self-check signal.
- 42. The system of claim 41, wherein said frequency detector further comprises an amplifier that amplifies and filters said frequency signal to remove noise from said frequency signal to form a conditioned frequency signal.
- 43. The system of claim 42, wherein said conditioned frequency signal is input into a threshold detector and said control system so that said control system is capable of determining if said conditioned frequency signal is above a threshold value indicative of the proximity of the transportation vessel.
- 44. The system of claim 41, wherein said frequency signal is input into a threshold detector included in said frequency detector wherein said control system is capable of determining if said frequency signal is above a threshold value indicative of the proximity of the transportation vessel.
- 45. The system of claim 41, further comprising a field-emitting device coupled to said control system wherein said control system deactivates said field-emitting device when said frequency detector receives said frequency signal.
- 46. The system of claim 41, further comprising a field-emitting device coupled to said control system wherein said control system reduces the power in said field-emitting device when said frequency detector receives said frequency signal.
- 47. The system of claim 41, further comprising a field-emitting device coupled to said control system wherein said control system decouples the power in said field-emitting device when said frequency detector receives said frequency signal.
- 48. The system of claim 41, wherein said frequency detector comprises three antennas positioned in three different dimensions with respect to each other so that said frequency detector is capable of detecting said frequency signal regardless of the orientation of said frequency detector.
- 49. The system of claim 41, further comprising a tracking device coupled to said control system that is adapted to receive positioning information from a positioning system concerning said electronic device and a remote communication device coupled to said control system to transmit said positioning information remotely wherein said control system is adapted to deactivate said remote communication device if said frequency detector detects said frequency signal.
- 50. The system of claim 49, wherein said positioning system receives said positioning information from at least one satellite.
- 51. The system of claim 49, wherein said remote communicate device communicates said positioning information remotely to a remote site.
- 52. The system of claim 49, wherein said remote communication device communicates said position information remotely to a remote site through satellite communications.
- 53. The system of claim 49, further comprising a power system under control of said control system that deactivates power from said tracking device when said frequency detector detects said frequency signal.
- 54. The system of claim 41, further comprising a frequency beacon associated with the transportation vessel that emits said frequency signal.
- 55. The system of claim 54, wherein said frequency beacon is attached to the transportation vessel.
- 56. The system of claim 44, wherein said frequency beacon is located in proximity to the transportation vessel.
- 57. The system of claim 41, wherein said control system causes said frequency generator to emit a band of frequencies to determine if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 58. The system of claim 57, wherein said control system reports an error to a remote site if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 59. The system of claim 44, wherein said control system causes said frequency generator to emit a band of frequencies to determine if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 60. The system of claim 59, wherein said control system adjusts said threshold detector is said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 61. The system of claim 41, wherein said frequency detector comprises a PLL circuit to detect said frequency signal and to generate a signal to said control system indicative of the locked condition of said frequency signal indicative of the proximity of the transportation vessel.
- 62. The system of claim 61, wherein said PLL circuit comprises:
a converter to receive said frequency signal; a phase and frequency comparator to receive an output signal from said converter; and a filter and VCO that receives an output signal from said phase and frequency comparator indicative of the difference in phase between said frequency signal and said VCO; said VCO generates an output signal that is fed back into said phase and frequency comparator.
- 63. The system of claim 41, wherein said electronic device is comprised from the group consisting of a cellular phone, a PDA, a laptop computer, and a shipping container.
- 64. A method of verifying that a frequency detector used to detect the proximity of a transportation vessel is operational, comprising the steps of:
detecting a frequency signal indicative of the proximity of the transportation vessel using a frequency detector; generating a second signal at substantially the same frequency as said frequency signal; and verifying that said frequency detector is operating properly by determining if said frequency detector detected said second signal.
- 65. The method of claim 64, further comprising determining if said frequency signal is above a threshold value in order to determine the proximity of the transportation vessel.
- 66. The method of claim 65, further comprising filtering said frequency signal to eliminate any noise in said frequency signal.
- 67. The method of claim 66, further comprising communicating information to a remote site indicative of the proximity of the transportation vessel.
- 68. The method of claim 64, wherein said generating a second signal further comprises generating a band of second signals to determine if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 69. The method of claim 65, wherein said generating a second signal further comprises generating a band of second signals to determine if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable and further comprising adjusting said threshold value if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 70. The method of claim 64, wherein said detecting further comprises determining if said frequency signal is in a locked condition.
- 71. A method of verifying that a frequency detector used to detect an intrinsically-safe area, comprising the steps of:
detecting a frequency signal indicative of the proximity of the intrinsically-safe area using a frequency detector; generating a second signal at substantially the same frequency as said frequency signal; and verifying that said frequency detector is operating properly by determining if said frequency detector detected said second signal.
- 72. The method of claim 71, further comprising determining if said frequency signal is above a threshold value in order to determine the proximity of the transportation vessel.
- 73. The method of claim 72, further comprising filtering said frequency signal to eliminate any noise in said frequency signal.
- 74. The method of claim 73, further comprising communicating information to a remote site indicative of the intrinsically-safe area.
- 75. The method of claim 71, wherein said generating a second signal further comprises generating a band of second signals to determine if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 76. The method of claim 72, wherein said generating a second signal further comprises generating a band of second signals to determine if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable and further comprising adjusting said threshold value if said frequency detector has become de-tuned or inoperable.
- 77. The method of claim 71, wherein said detecting further comprises determining if said frequency signal is in a locked condition.
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part application of pending patent application Ser. No. 09/898,498, entitled “Deactivation of field-emitting electronic device upon detection of a transportation vessel,” filed on Jul. 3, 2001, which is a continuation-in-part application of pending patent application Ser. No. 09/542,772, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,797, entitled “Method and apparatus for detecting a container proximate to a transportation vessel hold,” filed on Apr. 4, 2000. The present patent application claims benefit of priority to both U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,797 and pending patent application Ser. No. 09/898,498.
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09898498 |
Jul 2001 |
US |
Child |
10160512 |
Jun 2002 |
US |
Parent |
09542772 |
Apr 2000 |
US |
Child |
09898498 |
Jul 2001 |
US |