Method and apparatus for water sports automation and enhanced situational awareness

Abstract

The invention relates to a comprehensive safety system for water sports activities, integrating advanced SMART components to enhance participant security and situational awareness. The system includes a participant's FOB device equipped with a microcontroller, CPU, RF transmitters, receivers, and data processors to detect water immersion. Upon detection, an alarm device on the watercraft activates, and a smart flag automatically raises, emitting visual and auditory signals to alert nearby individuals and vessels. A captain's console provides centralized control, enabling remote operation of alarms and flags while displaying real-time status through a smart device application. Unique identifiers prevent false alarms by ensuring interactions only between paired components. The system employs multimodal immersion detection, GPS-based tracking, and a Man Down Switch to cut off the engine when necessary. This robust design combines precise detection, communication, and safety measures, ensuring reliability in diverse environments and scenarios.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system to sense immersion of a participant into water, comprising:
 an alarm device on a watercraft,   a FOB device of a participant, wherein,
 the alarm and the FOB devices are wirelessly connected to each other, 
 the FOB device detects the immersion of the participant in the water, and 
 the alarm device is automatically turned ON creating an alarm indicating an SOS signal based on the detected immersion of the participant in the water by the FOB device. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a smart flag on the watercraft, wherein the smart flag is wirelessly connected to the alarm and the FOB, and wherein the smart flag is automatically deployed based on the detected immersion of the participant by the FOB device. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein, when the participant gets submerged in the water, the communication is ceased, thus initiating the flag to go up automatically and initiate the alarm to alert a captain of the watercraft. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein deployment of the flag lets surrounding watercraft to know that the participant is in the water. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the alarm lets a captain of the watercraft know that the participant is submerged in the water. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the participant's FOB is in constant communication with the flag and the alarm. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising a captain's console, a captain's FOB, a smart device application, an SOS protocol, and a man down switch. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the man down switch puts the watercraft's gear into neutral and if desired can lower the volume of the watercraft's radio when the participant is submerged in the water. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the console, the flag, the alarm, and the app are activated when the FOBs are submerged in the water and tether is broken, wherein the flag activates rising into position and noting its GPS location after the tether is broken, and wherein the watercraft may be configured to confirm connection and status of the alarms with the one or more FOBs and flags, and display real time status of the alarms, FOBs, or flags. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the captain's console activates both visual and auditory alarms, the Man down switch if installed, GPS location via the App, and the SOS protocol if the captain's FOB broke its tether, and wherein the captain's console is configured to mark GPS location when the FOB tethers are broken. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the smart device App is configured to alarm the captain when the participant is in the water along with their location information, and wherein the location information includes location of the flag, captain's console, and FOBs, and wherein the smart device App provides status on activation of an SOS protocol and provide information and direction. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 7 , further comprising a kill engine or switch that is located on the watercraft, and wherein the kill engine or switch is ignited to turn OFF/ground/neutralize a motor and propulsion system of the watercraft. 
     
     
         13 . A system for enhancing safety during water sports activities, comprising:
 a participant's FOB device configured to detect immersion of a participant into water, the FOB device including:
 a microcontroller, a CPU, internal memory, external flash drive, SRAM, DRAM, IRAM, fine-grained clock, crystal oscillator, RTC, power management circuitry, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE radios, a low noise receive amplifier, and an antenna, wherein the FOB device is configured to wirelessly transmit and receive RF signals and data, and process the received data using software logic; 
   an alarm device integrated into a watercraft, the alarm device wirelessly connected to the participant's FOB device and configured to activate and emit an audible and/or visual alarm upon detection of the participant's immersion;   a smart flag device mounted on the watercraft, the smart flag including:
 an actuator and a speaker housed within a casing, and 
 a microcontroller and circuitry similar to the FOB device, and wherein the smart flag is wirelessly connected to the participant's FOB device and the alarm device and configured to raise automatically and emit a signal when immersion is detected; and 
   a captain's console configured to communicate with the participant's FOB device, the alarm device, and the smart flag, the console enabling manual or remote control of the flag, alarm, and system parameters, wherein each component within the system has a unique identifier and is programmed to establish logical relationships with other components using software logic, allowing individualized interactions and preventing false alarms in multi-user environments.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising a smart device application configured to receive real-time updates from the participant's FOB, smart flag, and captain's console, and display participant location and system status. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the participant's FOB device detects immersion through multiple mechanisms, including RF signal interruption and data analysis from integrated sensors. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the participant's FOB device establishes a unique identifier relationship with the smart flag to prevent activation of unrelated flags in close-proximity environments. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising a man down switch (ECOS) installed on the watercraft, the switch configured to cut off the watercraft engine if the captain falls overboard. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the smart flag automatically logs its GPS location when activated and transmits the location to the captain's console and smart device application. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the participant's FOB device receives and processes RF and data signals to establish logical relationships with the alarm device and smart flag. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the smart flag is configured to emit both visual and audible signals to enhance visibility and awareness in poor lighting or high-traffic conditions.