The technology described herein relates to a survival backpack having a notification system and airbag system.
Backcountry ski and snowboard gear is a rapidly growing segment of the snow sports industry. Backcountry ski terrain is generally defined as areas outside the bounds of ski resorts and therefore is an area that is not regularly patrolled. Further, backcountry terrain is not as closely monitored and maintained with respect to avalanche risk as areas within the perimeters of a ski resort. As such, accidents in these areas can be especially dangerous because the terrain is less predictable and, if an accident happens, help is not easily notifiable, accessible, or quick to respond. For a user buried in an avalanche, survival rates drop drastically if the user is not recovered within 10 minutes. Clearly, the speed of emergency response is essential for rescue, medical treatment, and ultimate survival of the user.
Unintentionally triggering an avalanche, being caught in the snowslide, impacts with debris, and burial under the snow are particular concerns when enjoying backcountry terrain. Often the user has only seconds to realize the avalanche has started and take corrective action, if possible. In the case of a user-triggered avalanche, the user often will be immersed in the snowslide with few or no options to escape.
Over the past decade, backcountry skiers, snowboarders, and other snow enthusiasts have increasingly had access to snow gear intended to reduce the risk of injury and burial during an avalanche. Backpacks and vests which contain inflatable airbags intended for avalanche safety and rescue are currently available. When a user is caught in an avalanche slide, the user activates the airbag system whereby a compressed gas at high pressure is used to inflate the airbags. The larger surface area created by the inflated airbag results in increase buoyancy, thus helping the user stay closer to the surface of the snow as the avalanche propagates. This buoyancy helps keep the user away from any debris flowing with the snowslide, objects under the slide such as trees or rocks, and ultimately helps prevent the user from being buried when the avalanche settles. In the instance of burial, the airbag creates moving room for the user when the airbag deflates, leaving a nominally breathable air pocket behind which can also enable the user to begin to dig out of the snow.
Being caught in or buried by an avalanche slide can be dangerous for several reasons. In addition to suffocation risk, there is a high risk of the user sustaining serious trauma from objects carried within the slide or stationary under the surface of the snow (e.g., rocks, trees). As a result, the user often sustains injuries such as broken bones or is knocked unconscious, making it difficult or impossible for them to help extract themselves from the snow or call for help. In addition to increasing buoyancy, the inflated airbag helps reduce the risk of trauma caused by the user impacting objects under the surface of the snow by providing additional padding between the user and the environment.
Avalanche transceivers or beacons are standard equipment for backcountry skiers and snowboarders. The transceiver emits a signal that is receivable by another user's transceiver when placed in “search” mode. The signal helps an emergency responder or ski partner obtain relative directional location and depth information for a buried user who is wearing a transceiver. However, the range of the emitted signal is limited and an active responder needs to be searching an immediate area for the signal to be helpful.
The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of the invention as defined in the claims is to be bound.
In one example, the present disclosure is related to a survival backpack comprising an airbag system, where the airbag system has at least one airbag, an airbag trigger that deploys the airbag when actuated, a communication device, and a rescue system controller. The survival backpack may further comprise a communication device operatively connected to the rescue system controller and comprising at least one transceiver configured to transmit and receive a data signal, wherein the rescue system controller is connected to the airbag trigger and configured to identify when the airbag trigger is actuated. Upon activation of the airbag system by a user actuating the airbag trigger, the rescue system controller causes the communication device to transmit the data signal for reception by a third party communication device.
In another example, the present disclosure is related to an emergency notification method performed by a rescue system in a survival backpack, the backpack having a deployable airbag, an airbag trigger that deploys the airbag when actuated, a rescue system controller, an activation switch coupled to the airbag trigger and switchably connected to the rescue system controller, a sound emitting device connected to the rescue system controller, a communication device connected to the rescue system controller and having at least one transceiver configured to establish a connection to a third party communication device, wherein the emergency notification method comprises determining by the rescue system controller in response to connection with the activation switch if the airbag has been activated, and when the airbag has been activated, controlling by the rescue system controller the communication device to establish a connection with the third party communication device.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. A more extensive presentation of features, details, utilities, and advantages of the present invention as defined in the claims is provided in the following written description of various examples of the invention and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
In
In some examples, the secondary compartments 35 are provided on opposing lateral sides of the backpack 20. In some examples, the secondary compartments 35 may contain airbag(s) 92 (see
With continuing reference to
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With continuing reference to
A compressed gas canister 90 contains a gas at a pressure much greater than atmospheric pressure. In one example, the gas is breathable air so that when the airbag deflates in a emergency or burial situation, it will leave a pocket of air the user 10 can use to breathe while attempting to extract from the snow and/or while help is being contacted and dispatched. Other gases can be used in order to satisfy particular considerations such as weight and safety. The compressed gas canister 90 may be provided with a pressure gauge 93 and is connected to the housing 80 in a conventional manner. The canister has pneumatic airbag inflation tubes 91 which are operatively connected to airbags 92 generally disposed on opposing sides of the backpack 20. Upon activation via the airbag trigger 40, the airbags 92 deploy through exterior openings of the backpack 20 and become several times larger in size, as depicted generally at 92′. It is noted that the configuration shown in
An example of the airbag system housing 80 and electrical switch 82 is shown in greater detail in
The internal layout of the main controller housing 81 as shown in
The rescue system controller 100 has a signal input 119 for receiving, for example, trigger signals from the electrical controller contacts 88. The rescue system controller 100 is further connected to a power supply 110 and a sensor 111. In some examples, the power supply 110 may be in the form of a lithium-ion polymer battery, or other suitable type of battery. In a preferred example, the power supply 110 may be a rechargeable battery. In other examples, the backpack 20 may be equipped with a small solar panel that is connected with the power supply 110 to provide charging when the backpack 20 is exposed to sunlight. In addition to providing power to the rescue system controller 100, the power supply 110 may also power the sensor 111, a location device 114, which in some examples may be a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver, a long-range transceiver 115 and a short-range transceiver 117. Though depicted as separate elements, transmitted and receiver 115, 117 may be replaced by a single transceiver component capable of transmitting and receiving both long range and short range communications. In some examples, the location device 114 may determine a user's location using a GPS satellite network, triangulation algorithms, time of flight algorithms, or the like. In some examples, the long-range transceiver 115 may operate on satellite, microwave, cell phone, GSM, CDMA, or radio frequency (RF) protocols and may be powerful enough to transmit and receive data and signals over a long range. In some examples, the short-range transceiver 117 may operate on local area wireless protocols, WiFi, WiMax, Zigebee, Bluetooth, and the like.
The power supply may power the respective components either directly or indirectly through the rescue system controller 100. The rescue system controller 100 may receive input of a first signal 113 from the sensor 111 via a first signal conditioner 112, which may be a digital signal conditioner (DSC). The rescue system controller 100 may further receive input signals corresponding to a GPS location signal from the GPS unit 114 and a second signal 116 from a receiver 117. The rescue system controller 100 may output a third signal 118 to the transmitter 115.
In one example, the communication device 70 connects with the rescue system controller 100 via device conduit 71 and is thereby directly activated by triggering of the electrical switch 82. Alternatively, this connection can be made wirelessly via Bluetooth or other standard wireless transmission protocols.
In some examples, the GPS unit 114 and the satellite communication device 70 are operatively connected and capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from a Bluetooth or other wireless transmission module, a cellular phone, a GPS network, a SPOT GPS tracking and messaging network, a cellular tower network, an internet terminal, and the like.
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In some examples, the third party device 76 may be an emergency dispatch system configured to operate on a separate communication network and work in conjunction with emergency responders 77, such as search and rescue teams, paramedics, and the like. An emergency message 75 from the rescue system controller 100 is transmitted to the satellite 74, which is relayed to the third party device 76. In some examples, the message 75 may be a data signal from the rescue system controller 100 and may be transmitted to a third party communication device. In a preferred example the emergency message 75 may be repeatedly transmitted until receipt of the message 75 is acknowledged, such as by a confirmation signal or message. The emergency message 75 may contain location of the user 10 as determined by the location device 114, and may optionally contain user biological or identification information such as weight, height, sex, medical history, health insurance information, and other relevant user data. This information may be stored in storage device 102, and may be used to aid in recovery and medical treatment of the user 10.
With continuing reference to
Turning now to
When the switch has been activated in operation 709 the emergency notification system 700 is activated. Upon activation, the emergency notification system 120 begins the countdown sequence begins in operation 710. As depicted in
In operation 716, the rescue system controller 100 determines whether the emergency notification system 120 has been deactivated or canceled. In some examples, the deactivation may be performed by deactivation of the communication device 70 such as by switch, lever, cable, or the like. In some examples, the emergency notification system 120 may be deactivated when it is deployed by accident, the user 10 has recovered or no longer needs assistance, and/or emergency responders 77 have arrived. In some examples, the emergency notification system 120 may be deactivated by operating the switch 82 using airbag trigger 40. In other examples, the switch 82 may be operated directly, such as manually sliding the switch 82 and/or the cable 42 to deactivate the emergency notification system 120.
In operation 716, when the rescue system controller 100 determines that the emergency notification system 120 has not been canceled, the operation protocol 700 proceeds to operation 718 to connect with a communication device 76 of a third party. In some examples, the third party may be another skier, outdoor enthusiast, or companion of the user 10, and the emergency notification system 700 may connect to a third party's cell phone, such as the cell phone 79 in
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In operation 810, the emergency notification system 120 determines if there is a remote third party device. If a remote third party device is present, the protocol 800 proceeds to operation 812 to activate the long-range transceiver, such as the long-range transceiver 115 discussed above with respect to
In operation 816, the emergency notification system 120, upon connection with a local user in operation 808 or a remote user in operation 814, determines if two-way communication is possible. If two-way communication is possible, the emergency notification system 120 establishes two-way communication in operation 818. If two-way communication is not possible, the protocol 800 proceeds to operation 820 and ends. Upon completion of operation 718, the operation protocol 700 in
Returning to
As discussed above, when the message 75 is transmitted to the third party device, the transceiver 117 may also communicate location information (e.g. GPS or triangulation data) to one or more smartphones 79 carried by companion skiers or other local users. In the instance where user companions are nearby and not incapacitated by the incident, this can enable more immediate response to the affected user 10 by helping companion skiers to quickly locate the user 10. A shortened response time is very important to the ultimate survival of a buried or injured skier, as survival rates drop quickly with time.
As set forth above in examples, the disclosed technology overcomes the limitations of existing airbag backpacks, vests, and avalanche beacons and transceivers by providing an emergency notification system coupled to the airbag system. In particular, since the emergency notification system and protocol may automatically begin when the user 10 determines an avalanche has begun and triggers airbag deployment. In this way the notification protocol begins very early in the avalanche progression, automatically notifying third party devices of the location of the user 10 and enabling the third party device(s) to respond to the user location and/or dispatch emergency responders. Accordingly, the location information determined by the location device 114 may in some examples be considered rescue location information. Accordingly, even if the user 10 is unresponsive help may be dispatched. Since it is well documented that quicker response time results in higher rates of survival, the backpack disclosed herein may significantly minimize the emergency response time and maximize user survival.
It is noted that the backpack as presently disclosed is not limited to use in backcountry skiing or snowboarding. The advantages of such an airbag-equipped backpack discussed above can apply to any activity which is being practiced in a location where avalanche and snowslides may potentially occur, including within the boundary of a ski resort or along Nordic skiing, cross-country, and snowshoeing trails.
The technology described herein may be partially implemented as logical operations and/or modules in one or more systems. The logical operations may be implemented as a sequence of processor-implemented steps executing in one or more computer systems and as interconnected machine or circuit modules within one or more computer systems. Likewise, the descriptions of various component modules may be provided in terms of operations executed or effected by the modules. The resulting implementation is a matter of choice, dependent on the performance requirements of the underlying system implementing the described technology. Accordingly, the logical operations making up the examples of the technology described herein are referred to variously as operations, steps, objects, or modules. Furthermore, it should be understood that logical operations may be performed in any order, unless explicitly claimed otherwise or a specific order is inherently necessitated by the claim language.
In some implementations, articles of manufacture are provided as computer program products that cause the instantiation of operations on a computer system to implement the claimed invention. Implementations may include a computer program product that provides a non-transitory computer program storage medium readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program. It should further be understood that the described technology may be employed in special purpose devices independent of standard network, desktop, or personal computing devices.
All directional references (e.g., proximal, distal, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, lateral, longitudinal, front, back, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, radial, axial, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of the present invention, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the invention. Connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a collection of elements and relative movement between elements unless otherwise indicated. As such, connection references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other. The exemplary drawings are for purposes of illustration only and the dimensions, positions, order and relative sizes reflected in the drawings attached hereto may vary.
The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined in the claims. Although various embodiments of the claimed invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention. Other embodiments are therefore contemplated. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only of particular embodiments and not limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the basic elements of the invention as defined in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Application No. 61/939,647, filed Feb. 13, 2014 and entitled “Avalanche Backpack with Inflatable Airbag, Locator, and Notification System,” which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61939647 | Feb 2014 | US |