United States Patent
`
`[191
`
`nu Patent Number:
`
`4,651,157
`
`Gray et al.
`
`[45] Date of Patent: Mar. 17, 1987
`
`[54] SECURITY MONITORING AND TRACKING
`SYSTEM
`
`[75]
`
`Inventors: Donald R. Gray- Lawrence R. Green
`In, both of 2 ’ el’ Ind‘; Robert L’
`Gendler, Lighthouse Point; John A.
`Carrott, Pompano Beach, both of
`Fla,
`
`Assignee: Mets, Inc., Pompano Beach, Fla.
`Appl_ No; 731,280
`Filfidi
`M8)’ 7: 1935
`In . CL4 .........................
`Cl. .........................
`
`1 3 02- B60
`
`342/389, 340/539. 340/63
`Field of Search ............... 343/437, 450, 151, 453,
`343/389 340/539 63
`’
`’
`References Cited
`U‘S_ PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`3,518,674 6/1970 MO0fCh€8d Ct 81.
`3:58°v121
`7/1972 A“d°'5°” 5‘ 31'
`ggggfigg
`ggjtsoflt al‘
`’
`’
`"""""
`3,848,254 11/1974 D b'
`4,222,052 9/1930
`4,435,711
`3/1984 Ho et al.
`4,547,778 10/1985
`
`..
`
`.
`
`....
`
`....... 343/457
`343/457
`
`343/457
`343/453
`343/389
`
`.
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`Carey and Welsh, “Location and Control of Vehicles”
`__
`The SERT Journal V5, 7/7], No. 4, pp. 87 92.
`Primary Examiner—Theodore M. Blum
`Assistant Examiner—D. Cain
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Hoffman, Wasson & Fallow
`
`ABSTRACT
`[57]
`A method and apparatus for positively indicating the
`position of a land-based vehicle, a marine vessel or an
`aircraft, utilizing a security system provided in the se-
`cur?‘ mode.“ imnsp.°rtati°" .m°"it°red.by 3 central
`by
`R/‘KN-C transmitters or satellite transmitters are re-
`°°“.’°" and “F” “’"““““‘“°“. ‘° ‘he °":“““" S“*“°.“
`which deterimnes the exact latitude/longitude coordi-
`nates of the secured mode of transportation. The se-
`cured mode of transportation also includes a security
`panel for monitoring the condition of various parame-
`ters. An interface is connected to the security panel and
`the navigational rgceiver for coordinating the tfansmis-
`sion of information relating to the conditions monitored
`by the security panel as well as the information received
`by the navigational receiver before they are sent to a
`.
`.
`.
`.
`radio for transmission to the central station.
`
`29 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures
`
`“RE K
`INTRUSIW
`ALARM DEVICES
`
`ANCHOR vmcn ALARM
`
`SECURITY
`
`OUTPUT BOARD
`
`AHMBLE &
`VISUAL ALARM
`FIRE, ANEHOR, WATCH
`min i MANUAL
`Mm/MAR“ WW 1: MANUAL ALARMS
`*”‘“"'5
`INTRUSION I MANUAL ALARMS
`
`CENTRAL
`STATION
`3
`
`/
`
`RILBE HATER A
`MECHANICAL
`
`-—
`
`ALARM, TD L ARM/DISARM DATA
`
`ITNANSMITTING
`LOGIC
`I
`BOARD
`BOARD
`I
`2
`36
`-"— -— # — — -— —
`RECEIVING
`
`Liberty Mutual
`Exhibit 1023
`
`Page 000001
`
`

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`

`
`U. S. Patent Mar. 17,1987
`
`Sheet 2 of 2
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`4,651,157
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`Page 000003
`
`

`
`1
`
`4,651,157
`
`SECURITY MONITORING AND TRACKING
`SYSTEM
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`Crime statistics provided by the Coast Guard and
`local police organizations have shown that in the last
`several years, the number of burglaries, vandalism and
`the theft of both land-based vehicles and marine vessels
`have increased dramatically. For example, Coast Guard
`statistics indicate that 75,000 vessels have been reported
`stolen in the last five years and insurance companies
`report that claims in excess of $200,000,000.00 have
`been reported each year. Furthermore, the Coast Guard
`has reported that in the year 1982 alone, nearly 50,000
`calls for assistance were answered for pleasure craft and
`that over 150,000 people were assisted and nearly 5,700
`lives saved.
`Consequently, various systems have been developed
`which endeavor to monitor the current position and
`status of either a land-based vehicle, such as personal
`automobiles, fleets of cars, trucks, taxis or police cruis-
`ers, mobile homes or vans and pleasure crafts such as
`yachts. Additionally, other systems have been devel-
`oped for monitoring a vehicle or vessel for the presence
`of a malfunction, a fire condition or an unauthorized
`intrusion.
`Motorola Communications and Electronics, Inc. of
`Schaumburg, Ill. is currently developing a land-based 30
`tracking system for determining the current position of
`vehicles provided with an existing mobile communica-
`tions system between a central dispatcher and each
`individual vehicle. This system, which could be em-
`ployed by police departments, taxi companies and fleets
`of trucks, utilizes a LORAN-C chain employing a single
`master and only two secondary transmitters to deter-
`mine the particular latitude/longitude coordinates of
`the vehicles. However, problems have developed in
`implementing this system since each of the receivers 40
`provided in the land-based vehicle determine the partic-
`ular coordinates of that vehicle and then transmits these
`coordinates to the central dispatching station. Since the
`LORAN-C signal is a ground wave, the velocity of the
`wave is altered by a variety of natural or man-made
`sources of interference, as well as being adversely af-
`fected by the particular terrain over which it passes.
`Although the Motorola system is cognizant of these
`problems, they chose to correct any inaccuracies by
`compensating for the errors generated by these sources
`of interference in the unit installed in each vehicle, each
`unit geared to a particular regional area. Therefore,
`regardless of whether these compensation techniques
`adequately rectify the errors generated by the LORAN-
`C transmissions, these compensation factors would have
`absolutely no application or use if the particular vehicle
`was no longer in its assigned region. Additionally, this
`system is used merely to determine the position of the
`vehicle and cannot be applied to monitor more than one
`manually set condition of the vehicle, nor can it be
`utilized to adequately determine whether the vehicle
`has been stolen.
`A second vehicle tracking system is presently being
`developed by II Morrow, Inc. of Salem, Oreg. This
`system is in many respects very similar to the Motorola
`system in that it can only be used for land-based vehi-
`cles, the determination of the exact coordinates of a
`particular vehicle is directly calculated by the unit pro-
`
`2
`vided in each vehicle and no provision is made for auto-
`matically monitoring the condition of the vehicle.
`Therefore, no existing system is presently available
`which adequately and accurately monitors the position
`of either a land-based vehicle, airplane or a sea-going
`vessel, determines whether that vehicle or vessel
`is
`currently being stolen and continuously monitors vari-
`ous operating parameters of that particular vehicle,
`airplane or vessel.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by
`the present invention which is directed to a method of
`positively determining the exact position of a land-
`based mobile unit, air vehicle or a sea-going vessel. It
`should be noted that this method, as well as the security
`monitoring system described hereinbelow, has equal
`applicability to any mode of transportation and, there-
`fore, for purposes of clarity, we will limit our descrip-
`tion to’ the utilization of this method and system with
`respect to a sea-going vessel.
`The method of tracking the vessel utilizes a LORAN-
`C transmitting network to provide the raw data used
`with a known triangulation computation technique for
`positively indicating the position of the vessel. Gener-
`ally speaking, a typical LORAN-C system includes a
`master transmitting station and at least four “slave”
`transmitters. The master station transmits a coded series
`of pulses used to synchronize the operation of the
`“slave" transmitters. After a predetermined coding
`delay, each “slave” transmitter will transmit a group of
`coded pulses. A LORAN-C receiver placed upon the
`vessel receives both the signals transmitted by the mas-
`ter as well as all ofthe signals transmitted by the “slave”
`transmitters. Since the exact latitude/longitude coordi-
`nates of each of these stations is known, the time-delays
`('I‘Ds) between the transmissions by the “slave” trans-
`mitters and the receipt of these signals by the vessel is
`used, through the standard triangulation technique, to
`determine the exact latitude/longitude coordinates of
`the vessel. All of the prior art systems presently avail-
`able complete all of the computations using the received
`TDs in the unit provided on the monitored vehicle or
`vessel.
`Since the LORAN-C transmitters transmit a ground
`wave of relatively low frequency (between 90 and 110 _
`KHz) the accuracy of this system is compromised be-
`cause the signal is affected by the terrain over which it
`travels. The present invention overcomes the problems
`of the prior art by performing the triangulation compu-
`tations at a central monitoring station. The onboard
`receiver receives the transmitted TDs and merely trans-
`mits the raw data to the central station. Each of the
`central stations communicates with the vessels through
`the use of one or a plurality of fixed, non-mobile anten-
`nas. Upon installation, the exact latitude/longitude co-
`ordinates of the fixed, non-mobile antennas are deter-
`mined. Each antenna is provided with a LORAN-C
`receiver and receives the same navigational pulses gen-
`erated by the LORAN-C transmitters received by the
`vessels. The navigational pulses received by the fixed
`antenna are used to determine the latitude/longitude
`coordinates of the antenna and are compared to the
`known coordinates of each antenna at computers pro-
`vided at each central station. This difference informa-
`tion is used in conjunction with the TDs transmitted
`from each vessel to automatically determine the exact
`position of the vessel with great accuracy.
`
`Page 000004
`
`

`
`4,651,157
`
`4
`rity status of the vessel as well as positioning informa-
`tion of the vessel.
`
`3
`The present invention also provides a security moni-
`toring apparatus provided on the sea-going vessel. This
`apparatus coordinates the outputs of various sensing
`devices provided on the vessel as well as responding to
`polling or scanning of the vessel by the central station.
`Although the various parameters monitored by the
`security system can be changed according to the de-
`mands and requirements of each user, the following
`parameters are listed merely to indicate the various
`usages to which the present invention could be applied.
`First and foremost, the present invention can monitor
`and determine whether the vessel is presently being
`utilized without authorization. This “anchor-watch”
`feature employs the LORAN-C navigational technique
`described hereinabove. In this situation, the TDs trans-
`mitted by the LORAN-C transmitters are retained by
`the vessel. When the system is armed, it can determine
`if the vessel is moved outside of a particular radius, such
`as 1/ 10th of a mile. The interval between the transmis-
`sions of each of the master’s transmissions is approxi-
`mately one second and therefore, each time the time
`delays are received by the vessel, a computation is per-
`formed to detemiine the exact position of the vessel.
`This exact position is then compared to the position of
`the vessel when the anchor has been armed, and when
`the present position crosses the circumference of a circle
`having a radius of, in this situation, 1/ 10th of a mile, the
`central station is automatically alerted.
`Additionally, the central station would be automati-
`cally alerted if the security monitoring apparatus senses
`the presence of an unauthorized intrusion upon the
`vessel, the presence of excessive heat in key areas indi-
`cating the presence of a fire, the mechanical breakdown
`of various devices on the vessel such as the engine,
`generator or low voltage battery condition, high bilge
`water level, the presence of excessive moisture in vari-
`ous key areas on the vessel, and the proper arming of
`the entire security system.
`Furthermore, the present invention includes a system
`which allows the occupants of the vessel to manually
`alert the central station of various situations such as an
`emergency or May-Day condition, a medical emer-
`gency, the presence of a man—overboard or the fact that
`the occupants on the vessel are presently being am-
`bushed or burglarized. As was true with the conditions
`which automatically alert the central station, this listing
`of manually alerted conditions is not deemed to be com-
`prehensive of all of the conditions which can be moni-
`tored but have been included to illustrate the various
`conditions which can be controlled.
`Communications between the vessel and the central
`station are accomplished by a two-way radio utilizing a
`full duplex radio frequency. This radio is capable of
`both receiving and transmitting signals simultaneously
`and would respond to the periodic polling generated by
`the central station as well as alarm signals manually or
`automatically generated by the onboard security sys-
`tem.
`
`The information rweived by the central station is
`channeled into various computers or monitors. The
`computers monitor the security of the vessel and per-
`sonnel provided at the central station would notify the
`proper authorities if a fault condition is sensed. A track-
`ing computer is used to determine the exact position of
`the vessel and a tracking monitor is employed to visu-
`ally display the position of the vessel. Various printers
`are also employed to generate a hard copy of the secu-
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`Other objects, features and advantages of the present
`invention will become more apparent from the follow-
`ing description when read in conjunction with the ac-
`companying drawings, in which:
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the onboard security
`system; and
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the central monitoring
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT
`INVENTION
`
`The security system of the present invention pro-
`vided on the secured vessel is shown in FIG. 1. As
`previously mentioned, this invention has equal applica-
`bility to be utilized on a land-based vehicle as well as an
`airplane. However, for purposes of simplicity, we shall
`describe the operation of the present invention with
`respect to its use on a marine vessel, it -being acknowl-
`edged that the various parameters which are monitored
`would change according to the particular mode of
`transportation which is to be protected. The onboard
`security system 8 includes a security panel 10, an inter-
`face 12, a LORAN-C receiver 14 as well as a two-way
`full duplex transmitting radio 16.
`The security panel 10 is directly affixed to any conve-
`nient console such as would be present in the cockpit of
`the vessel. This panel is capable of monitoring various
`conditions such as the presence of a fire and burglary
`intrusions. Various sensors responsive to these condi-
`tions are provided in a multitude of locations through-
`out the vessel and are hard-wired into the panel itself.
`Certainly, the exact number of protected zones which
`are monitored would change to accommodate the par-
`ticular vessel which is to be protected. However, for
`purposes of illustration only, the present invention uti-
`lizes nine separate input zones which are armed or dis-
`armed through the use of an arming and emergency
`station 18 directly or indirectly connected to the panel
`10. The security panel 10 supplies power for the moni-
`toring devices through the interface l2 which in turn is
`supplied with power from the vessel’s own onboard
`power supply 20. Although the present invention would
`automatically transmit a signal to the central station if
`one of the sensors is activated, the security panel 10 also
`includes a security output board 22 which automatically
`triggers the radio 16. Additionally, the security panel 10
`provides both audible and visual alarm indications pro-
`vided by the tripped sensors. As can be appreciated
`variously sounding alarms are provided for different
`purposes such that an individual aboard the vessel
`would be able to quickly differentiate between the fire
`and burglary alarms or any other condition sensed by
`the security system. Any intrusion-type alarms could be
`utilized in the eight burglary zone of the security sys-
`tem, these alarms normally consisting of contact de-
`vices mounted on door or hatch openings and/or mo-
`tion detectors which monitor key areas of the vessel.
`Additionally, a number of manual switches provided on
`the arming and emergency station 18 can be utilized to
`manually input alarms into the security panel 10. These
`alarms could be utilized for May-Day, medical or man-
`overboard emergencies. The output board 22 is used to
`trip either the interface 12 or the radio 16 in order to
`initiate alarm signal transmissions to a central station 24.
`The tripping of the interface 12 or the radio 16 by the
`
`25
`
`40
`
`45
`
`55
`
`65
`
`Page 000005
`
`

`
`4,651,157
`
`5
`security output board 22 is accomplished by providing
`a negative 5 volts potential across the line to either of
`these two devices. Certainly, the particular potential
`which is utilized to trip these devices could be altered
`depending upon the electrical system utilized by the
`vessel.
`The arming and emergency station 18 consists of a
`plurality of buttons arranged in a manner similar to that
`of a pnshbutton telephone system. This station 18 also is
`provided with a plurality of light-emitting diodes or 10
`similar devices for visually displaying the status of all of
`the protected zones. The system is armed by punching
`in the pa.rticular identification number of the vessel. A
`time-delay is provided through one of the entryways
`allowing an authorized individual to either exit
`the
`vessel after arming the security device or disengaging
`the security device entering the vessel. This delay is
`accomplished through the use of a mini-computer pro-
`vided in the security panel 10. If the time-delay is ex-
`ceeded, a delay signal is sent to the interface 12 and in
`turn transmitted to the central station.
`The arming or disarming of the security system initi-
`ates a signal to the interface 12 which allows transmis-
`sion of the status of the security system to the central
`station 24. Should one of the intrusion zone sensors be
`malfunctioning as would be evidenced by the activation
`or non-activation of its respective LED or similar sig-
`naling device provided on the arming and emergency
`station 18, the authorized user can force arm the device
`by punching a particular combination on the pnshbut-
`ton inputs thereby informing the central station that a
`particular zone is malfunctioning and the central station
`should disregard any alarm signals generated by the
`sensor monitoring this zone.
`The LORAN-C receiver 14 is provided to receive
`the signals provided by the master and “slave” transmit-
`ters used to produce the raw data required to determine
`the exact position of the vessel. The receiver 14 receives
`coded pulses from the master transmission and pulses
`transmitted from the “slave” transmitters at a predeter-
`mined time-delay after the transmission of the signal by
`the master transmitter. These time delay signals ar di-
`rectly transmitted to the interface 12 and are retained
`therein by a microcomputer provided in the interface.
`These signals are then transmitted from the interface 12
`to the radio 16 and are then in turn transmitted to the
`central station 24. It is of primary importance to note
`that the time-delays transmitted from the security sys-
`tem to the central station are merely the raw data re-
`ceived by the LORAN-C receiver 14. This data is in
`turn analyzed by the central station which performs the .
`standard triangulation technique to determine the exact
`position of the vessel. Additionally, this information is
`analyzed to determine whether an additional compen-
`sating technique should be performed to compensate for r
`various errors which could occur by utilizing the low
`frequency (between 90 and 110 KHz) ground wave
`which is transmitted by the LORAN-C transmitters.
`This particular scheme of performing the triangulation
`computations at the central station and not on the se-
`cured vessel provides for the superior accuracy of this
`system. Furthermore, the software provided at the cen-
`tral station utilizes all four of the “slave transmitters”
`and determines which two of those transmitters is trans-
`mitting the cleanest signals with respect to quality, sig-
`nal-to-noise ratio and error code distortion.
`The time-delays received by the LORAN-C receiver
`14 are also utilized to determine whether the vessel is
`
`6
`being used without authorization. This is accomplished
`by retaining the raw time delay data within the memory
`26 of the interface 12. This memory also contains the
`appropriate software for comparing the raw data re-
`ceived by the LORAN-C receiver 14 to the initial time-
`delay data received by the onboard security system
`when the system was initially armed. This comparison
`determines whether the vessel has moved outside of a
`predetermined circle of protection. The initial time-
`delay is used to form the coordinates of a circle having
`a predetermined radius, such as 1/10th of a mile. The
`receiver 14 constantly receives the LORAN-C time-
`delays and transmits this information to the interface 12.
`The interface 12 then utilizes this information to pro-
`vide new coordinates. The interface 12 then compare
`these new coordinates with the coordinates of the vessel
`determined when the security system was armed. If
`these new coordinates fall outside of the radius of the
`original circle, an alarm is sent via the radio 16 to the
`central station 24 indicating that an unauthorized use of
`the vessel
`is taking place. As long as this “anchor
`watch” portion of the system remains armed, the circle
`of protection remains in place.
`A dual-type antenna is used to receive and transmit
`information to and from the secured vessel. The radio
`16 utilizes a UHF antenna 30 (having a frequency, for
`example of 460 MHz band). The LORAN-C receiver 14
`utilizes a low frequency antenna 28 capable of receiving
`a frequency of between 90 and 110 KHz. Both of these
`antennas could be attached to one another and provided
`in a single case or could be affixed to separate locations
`on the vessel.
`The interface 12 links the security panel 10 and the
`LORAN-C receiver 14 with the radio 16. This interface
`is described in a patent application filed contemporane-
`ously with the present application and the subject mat-
`ter described therein is hereby incorporated by refer-
`ence. The interface provides power for these three
`components since it is wired directly to the vessel’s
`battery or power source’ 20. The interface 12 regulates
`the voltage and supplies it to each of the other security
`modules, and includes a back-up power source 32 which
`is capable of powering the entire system upon the fail-
`ure of the vessel’s own power source. A sensing means
`is provided within the interface which switches on the
`back-up power source 32 if the vessel’s power source
`becomes less than a predetermined value, such as 10
`volts. Furthermore, the interface will then initiate the
`radio 16 to transmit the low battery condition to the
`central station 24.
`The interface also acts as a link between the LO-
`RAN-C receiver 14 and the radio 16. The raw time-
`delays are supplied to the interface 12 which stores
`them in its memory 26,,as well as transmitting the raw
`data to the radio 16 for transmission to the central sta-
`tion 24. As indicated previously, the raw data is then
`used to determine whether the vessel has moved outside
`of the circle of protection, thereby indicating that an
`unauthorized use of the vessel is occuring.
`The interface 12 also acts as a conduit between the
`arming and emergency station, the security panel 10 and
`the radio 16 for informing the central station 24 that the
`security system has either been armed, disarmed or
`forced armed. Furthermore, information relating to the
`automatic intrusion alarms as well as the manually actu-
`ated alarms is sent to the interface 12 by the security
`panel 10. This information is also relayed to the radio 16
`and then to the central station 24. The interface 12 is
`
`Page 000006
`
`

`
`4,651,157
`
`7
`also capable of independently monitoring the status of
`various directly wired alarms. These alarms could be
`used to sense the bilge water level and the status of
`various mechanical devices upon the vessel, such as the
`engine or the generator. These alarms are handled on a
`continuous basis, such as the fire alarm connected to the
`security panel, and do not have to be armed or disarmed
`by an operator. Various indicators, such as LEDs or
`liquid crystals, are directly provided on the arming and
`emergency station and would positively indicate the
`status of the bilge water sensor, mechanical breakdown
`sensor or the anchor watch alarm. Please note, how-
`ever, that these particular conditions are only exem-
`plary and are not meant to limit the conditions directly
`sensed by the interface 12.
`The two-way radio 16 is capable of sending and re-
`ceiving digital information by use of an analog method.
`The radio consists of a transmitting board 32, a receiv-
`ing board 34 anda security logic board 36. The security
`logic board 36 is capable of sending signals generated by
`the fire alarm, the anchor watch alarm and the manual
`alarms which are directly sent to the radio 16 without
`being transmitted to the interface 12. Although the
`anchor watch alarm is monitored by the interface 12,
`the alarm signal is transmitted to the security panel 10
`which in turn transmits it to the radio 16. The radio
`operates on a full duplex radio frequency so that it is
`capable of transmitting and receiving on two separate
`frequencies which allows the central station 24 to simul-
`taneously scan and monitor all of the secured vessels.
`The central station 24 is shown in FIG. 2 and primar-
`ily consists of a security computer 40, a tracking com-
`puter 42 and a tracking monitor 44 as well as printers 46
`and 48.
`The security computer 40 initiates all of the scanning 35
`and polling of the security systems. Data relating to
`each individual secured system’s identification number
`and the signals transmitted by the radio from the secu-
`rity panel (such as fire, May-Day and anchor watch) are
`also monitored and controlled by this computer. Addi-
`tionally, this computer also retains information pertain-
`ing to each secured system’s use, and emergency infor-
`mation such as the pertinent police, fire department and
`Coast Guard numbers. The information stored in this
`computer 40 can periodically be printed on the printer
`46 for use by each individual user or the central station.
`The tracking computer 42 receives information
`which is generated by the interface 12 and sent to the
`radio 16 for transmission to the central station. This data
`includes information relating to the arming and disarm-
`ing of the unit, various alarm devices directly con-
`trolled by the interface 12 and the time-delays received
`by the LORAN-C receiver 14. The tracking computer
`42 stores the LORAN-C time-delays transmitted by the
`radio 16 and computes these time-delays into usable 55
`latitude and longitude coordinates through the use of
`internal software. This software is complemented by
`additional compensation correction techniques imple-
`mented by a unit installed at each of a plurality of an-
`tenna sites 38. Each of the central stations transmits and 60
`receives information through the use of one or more
`antennas 38 provided with transponders capable of
`scanning all of the radio transmitters 16 within its line of
`sight, as well as transmitting encoded data used to per-
`form onboard remote commands. Modems are provided 65
`at each antenna site connected by a data link to the
`central station 24. Alternatively,
`the antennas could
`‘communicate with the central station by a microwave
`
`8
`links. Each antenna is also provided with a LORAN-C
`receiver used to receive the same navigational informa-
`tion received by the LORAN-C receivers provided on
`each of the secured vessels. The time-delays transmitted
`to the antennas from each secured vessel along with the
`time-delays directly received by the antennas from the
`LORAN-C transmitter are sent to the central station 24.
`Since the latitude/longitude coordinates of each fixed
`non-mobile has been determined, inaccuracies created
`by the various terrain over which the LORAN-C
`ground waves travel are compensated by comparing the
`actual latitude/longitude coordinates of the antennas
`with the coordinates determined by the received L0-
`RAN-C pulses. This information is used to correct the
`location of the second vessel determined by‘the raw
`time-delay data transmitted from each vessel to the
`central station 24. These calculations and compensating
`techniques are accomplished by the tracking computer
`42. The tracking computer 42 also monitors data relat-
`ing to the parameters controlled by the interface 12
`such as arming, disarming, forced arming, bilge water,
`mechanical breakdown, delayed burglary, instant bur-
`glary, various burglary zones and circuit problems with
`the fire sensor are monitored by this computer.
`Similar to the security computer 40, information re-
`lating to each user’s use of the security system can be
`provided utilizing the printer 48. The tracking com-
`puter 42 has a display means for displaying the user’s
`identification number, any alarm information, as well as
`a finite number, such as 10, of the vessel’s previous
`latitude and longitude coordinates. Furthermore, the
`tracking computer could display the heading, speed and
`distance traveled by the vessel between each of the
`signal receptions.
`The tracking monitor 44 is utilized to directly display
`the position of the vessel on a detailed map of the partic-
`ular monitoring area. This is particularly useful in areas
`where many inlets and canals are prevalent. When a
`May-Day or similar alarm is received by the central
`station 24, the exact location of the vessel is displayed
`upon the tracking monitor 44 which is very helpful in
`relaying the exact position of the vessel to the proper
`authorities such as the Coast Guard.
`The operation of this device will now be described in
`more detail. The central station periodically polls each
`of the secured units dependent upon the particular situa-
`tion for each unit. For example, this polling can take
`place as often as every 90 seconds when the vessel is in
`transit, or as infrequently as every 128 hours when the
`vessel is in port. The polling is accomplished by trans-
`mitting an analog signal from the central station 24
`which is received by the radio antenna 30. This signal
`includes the user’s identification number and is directly
`sent from the radio 16 to the interface 12. Regardless of
`whether an alarm signal has or has not been generated
`or sensed by the security panel 10 or the interface 12,
`the interface would direct the radio 16 to transmit an
`analog signal of the user’s identification followed by a
`digital signal containing the raw time-delay data back to
`the central station 24. This feature allows the user’s
`identification number to be verified as well as simulta-
`neously updating the position of the vessel. This infor-
`mation is received by the antenna 38 and is sent to the
`security computer 40 as well as the tracking computer
`42. The security computer 40 is designed to input only
`the user’s identification number and the tracking com-
`puter 42 is designed to accept only the raw time-delays
`and various alarm signals. However, if the security
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`20
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`25
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`10
`9
`Furthermore, although the central station is shown to
`panel generates a signal such as a fire, anchor watch or
`manual alarm activation which is directly sent to the
`utilize a separate security computer, a separate tracking
`computer and a separate monitor, all three of these
`radio without directly utilizing the interface 12, this
`information is encoded as the third byte of data in the
`devices could be incorporated into a single computer.
`Also, information transmitted from the radio to the
`three byte identification number data stream. The cen-
`tral station transmits the customer ID number and the
`various computer components of the central station
`could be in both analog and digital form and these dif-
`radio 16 responds by transmitting the user’s identifica-
`ferences in signal composition would be used to deter-
`tion number followed by a analog signal indicating the
`occurrence of an alarm condition and then providing
`mine which information is to be processed by the secu-
`rity computer and which information is to be processed
`the digital time—delay data. On th