Litton Systems, Inc.

Eugene F Keohane

Albert C Paulovitz

Robert J Malloy

David P Cardamone

Robert L Muir

Peter W Bressler

David R Schiff

Thomas R Krishan

Fernando M Guidone

Harry F Buschmeier, Iii

Nicholas M Tinari, Jr

John G Vattima

An emergency position indicating radio beacon ('EPIRB') includes a watertight housing with an ON-OFF switch on the outside of the housing which does not require holes through the housing wall. A floatation collar on the housing maintains the EPIRB in an upright position in the water and provides a storage cavity for a lanyard. Conductive grids on the interior of the housing either shield the EPIRB electronics from antenna radiation and form the lower half of the antenna, or couple the antenna to the water which acts as a ground plane, depending on whether the EPIRB is floating in the water or is surrounded by air.

Emergency transmitter buoy for use on marine vessels

Emergency locator transmitter

Emergency position indicating radio beacon

An emergency position indicating radio beacon is controlled by an annular switch ring which rotates to ON, OFF, SET, and TEST positions. In the SET position, the buoy transmitter automatically turns on in response to removal of the buoy from a mounting bracket. A light and an audible alarm on the buoy are activated during buoy transmission to alert an operator to the transmission in order to avoid false alarms. The mounting bracket automatically releases and ejects the buoy in an emergency situation in response to ambient water pressure, or the buoy may be manually removed from the bracket for deployment.

Emergency transmitter buoy and bracket assembly

Growing community of inventors

Philadelphia, PA, United States of America

Eugene F Keohane