A Wave-powered Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) for Submarine Deployment

Emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRB) currently have very short operation lifetimes (=48hrs) due to the limited onboard battery power. The ability to harvest ocean energy could greatly enhance the operational lifetime of EPIRB, and hence increase the probability of rapid search, rescue and recovery of crew and equipment. Trex Enterprises, teaming with Ultra Electronics-Ocean Systems (UEOSI), proposes to develop a self-powered, submarine-deployable EPIRB (SEPIRB) for submarine deployment. The energy capture mechanism will employ a miniaturized version of Trex"s proven wave energy harvesting technology and will be capable of efficiently generating 15W, even at low sea states. The harvested energy will be utilized to directly power a transmitter that relays a situation report and current GPS location to rescue commands at 30-minute intervals. Excess power will be stored in an onboard rechargeable battery to assure uninterrupted operations. To ensure full compliance with SEPIRB functional requirements, Trex plans to team with UEOSI, a recognized leader in undersea defense electronics and the only manufacturer to deliver SEPIRB devices to the US Navy. Under Phase II, Trex will design, demonstrate and deliver two SEPIRB prototypes to NAVSEA.