CIRCUIT AND METHOD FOR CHECKING THE IMPEDANCE OF ELECTRODES AND FOR CONTROLLING THE INTENSITY OF AN ELECTRIC STIMULUS

• US 20080216766A1
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Les Nouveaux Etablissements Charles Martin SA
• Original Assignee: Charles Martin
• Inventors: Martin, Charles, Frebel, Fabrice
• Granted Patent: US 8,020,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 119/720
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/021 Electronic training devices specially adapted for dogs or cats
• CPC Class Codes: H05C 3/00 Other circuits or apparatus

Abstract

A remote receiving circuit for providing and controlling an electric stimulus applied to an animal including an electronic switch powered by a battery in series on a primary of a high-voltage transformer and whose on/off state can be modified by control pulses to create a source of alternating current to supply the primary of the transformer. The circuit further includes a first electrode and a second electrode configured to be in contact with the animal and connected to the respective ends of a secondary of the transformer, and a device for measuring the peak intensity of a stimulus current applied by the electrodes to the animal'"'"'s body.

Claims

1. A remote receiving circuit for providing and controlling an electric stimulus applied to an animal, the circuit comprising:

an electronic switch powered by a battery in series on a primary of a high-voltage transformer and whose on/off state can be modified by control pulses to create a source of alternating current to supply the primary of the transformer;

a first electrode and a second electrode configured to be in contact with the animal and connected to the respective ends of a secondary of the transformer; and

a device for measuring a peak intensity of a stimulus current applied by the electrodes to the animal'"'"'s body.

2. The circuit as in claim 1, wherein the electronic switch is a power transistor whose base is powered by control pulses modulated in terms of pulse width (PWM), the high-voltage transformer operating in a flyback mode.

3. The circuit as in claim 1, wherein the control pulses are generated remotely or by a microcontroller belonging to the circuit.

4. The circuit as in claim 1, wherein the device for measuring the peak intensity of the stimulus current comprises a non-linear shunt and a peak detector.

5. The circuit as in claim 4, wherein, in parallel between the end of the transformer secondary opposite the end connected to the first electrode and the second electrode, the non-linear shunt comprises a first forward-biased diode in series with a resistor R1 so as to create a drop in voltage and a pair of Zener diodes in a head-to-tail arrangement to limit this drop in voltage.

6. The circuit as in claim 5, wherein the peak detector comprises a second forward-biased diode connected to the resistor R1 and connected to a condenser in parallel on a voltage divider with two resistors in series R2 and R3.

7. The circuit as in claim 6, wherein the peak intensity of the stimulus current is given by the equation:

V_MEASUREMENT=I_{STIMULUS, PEAK}*R1*R3/(R2+R3),

where V_MEASUREMENT is the voltage measured at the exit from the voltage divider.

8. The circuit as in claim 6, wherein the first and second forward-biased diodes are Schottky diodes.

9. The circuit as in claim 3, wherein the microcontroller comprises an analog-digital converter for measuring the peak current.

10. The circuit as in claim 9, wherein the microcontroller is configured to adjust the generation of control pulses to the measurement of the peak current.

11. The circuit as in claim 1, further comprising a collar for training an animal having the remote receiving circuit.

12. A device for remotely providing and controlling an electric stimulus applied to an animal, the device comprising:

a radio frequency transmitter configured to emit a remote signal;

a receiving circuit as in claim 1 configured so as to receive the signal and to provide and control the stimulus depending on the signal received.

13. The device as in claim 12, wherein the transmitter and the receiving circuit are both transmitters/receivers and wherein the communication is bidirectional.

14. The device as in claim 13, wherein the transmitter is configured to receive information on the intensity of the stimulus applied, on the quality of contact of the electrodes with the animal and on the state of charge of the battery.

15. The device as in claim 13, wherein the transmitter is configured for the automatic selection of communication channels and sub-channels and for the use of codes of variable size.

16. Use of the circuit as in claim 1 to adjust the intensity of the stimulus applied to the animal to the measurement of the peak intensity of the stimulus current.

17. A method for implementing a circuit to measure the quality of contact of electrodes with an animal'"'"'s skin, the method comprising:

a) applying a control signal to an electronic switch with a cyclic ratio of 1%;

b) measuring a voltage of the measurement signal V_MEASUREMENT with an analog-digital converter;

c) if V_MEASUREMENT is greater than a predetermined value V_THRESHOLD, stopping generation of the control signal;

d) declaring contact of the electrodes to be good;

e) after a predetermined wait, returning to a);

f) if V_MEASUREMENT is not greater than the predetermined value V_THRESHOLD, determining if the cyclic ratio is lower than 20%;

g) if the cyclic ratio is lower than 20%, increasing the cyclic ratio by 1% and resuming to b);

h) if the cyclic ratio is not lower than 20%, stopping generation of the control signal;

i) declaring contact of the electrodes to be insufficient; and

j) after the predetermined wait, returning to a).

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the predetermined wait is five seconds.

19. A method for regulating a cyclic ratio of control pulses of a circuit used to provide and control an electric stimulus applied to an animal, the method comprising:

a) generating a control signal with a cyclic ratio of 1%;

b) measuring a voltage of a measurement signal V_MEASUREMENT;

c) deducing I_{STIMULUS, PEAK} with the equation;

V_MEASUREMENT=I_{STIMULUS, PEAK}*R1*R3/(R2+R3); and

d) if I_{STIMULUS, PEAK} is lower than a desired set level, increasing the cyclic ratio and resuming b);

or

e) if I_{STIMULUS, PEAK} is not lower than the desired set level, reducing the cyclic ratio and resuming b).

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the circuit comprises:

an electronic switch powered by a battery in series on a primary of a high-voltage transformer and whose on/off state can be modified by control pulses to create a source of alternating current to supply the primary of the transformer;

a first electrode and a second electrode configured to be in contact with the animal and connected to the respective ends of a secondary of the transformer; and

a device for measuring the peak intensity of the stimulus current applied by the electrodes to the animal'"'"'s body.

21. A computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for measuring a quality of contact of electrodes with an animal'"'"'s skin, the computer readable code comprising instructions for:

a) applying a control signal to an electronic switch with a cyclic ratio of 1%;

b) measuring a voltage of the measurement signal V_MEASUREMENT with an analog-digital converter;

c) if V_MEASUREMENT is greater than a predetermined value V_THRESHOLD, stopping generation of the control signal;

d) declaring contact of the electrodes to be good;

e) after a predetermined wait, returning to a);

f) if V_MEASUREMENT is not greater than the predetermined value V_THRESHOLD, determining if the cyclic ratio is lower than 20%;

g) if the cyclic ratio is lower than 20%, increasing the cyclic ratio by 1% and resuming to b);

h) if the cyclic ratio is not lower than 20%, stopping generation of the control signal;

i) declaring contact of the electrodes to be insufficient; and

j) after the predetermined wait, returning to a).

22. The computer usable medium as in claim 21, wherein the program code is run on a microcontroller.

23. A computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for regulating a cyclic ratio of control pulses to control an electric stimulus applied to an animal, the computer readable code comprising instructions for:

a) generating a control signal with a cyclic ratio of 1%;

b) measuring a voltage of a measurement signal V_MEASUREMENT;

c) deducing I_{STIMULUS, PEAK} with the equation,

V_MEASUREMENT=I_{STIMULUS, PEAK}*R1*R3/(R2+R3); and

d) if I_{STIMULUS, PEAK} is lower than a desired set level, increasing the cyclic ratio and resuming b);

or

c) if I_{STIMULUS, PEAK} is not lower than the desired set level, reducing the cyclic ratio and resuming b).

24. The computer usable medium as in claim 23, wherein the program code is run on a microcontroller.