Today, August 29, 2011, we, the Propeller Guard Information Center, posted five RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) invention disclosures. While they have other implications as well, they were primarily inspired by problems surrounding boat engine kill switches (emergency engine cut-off switches).
We (Polson Enterprises) are retaining all rights to these inventions (including their use in non-boating applications).
Existing lanyard boat engine kill switches (emergency engine cut-off switches) are used to kill the engine if the operator falls overboard. Boats often begin spinning wildly in the “Circle of Death” after the operator has been ejected. A boat operator that falls overboard while the boat is underway may be struck repeatedly by the boat and/or propeller as the boat circles.
Lanyard boat kill switches are rarely used by boat operators due to the hassles of hooking them up. Sensor based kill switch systems such as Autotether and MariTech’s Virtual Lifeline and CAST have began to address some of the hassles involved with using lanyards. Our RFID tag based invention disclosures illustrate a different sensor based approach with some additional advantages.
Our five invention disclosures are: Read More→