METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FENCING ANIMALS WITHOUT USING A PHYSICAL FENCE

• US 20130008391A1
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nofence AS
• Original Assignee: Nofence AS
• Inventors: Berntsen, Oscar Hovde
• Granted Patent: US 8,939,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 119/721
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/00 Devices for taming animals, e.g. nose-rings or hobbles; Devices for overturning animals in general; Training or exercising equipment; Covering boxes
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/023 Anti-evasion devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/04 Devices for impeding movement; Devices for impeding passage through fencing , e.g. hobbles or the like; Anti-kicking devices impeding passage under fences A01K15/006

Abstract

A system for invisible fencing for animals, that is a device mounted on animals. The device checks GNSS position measurements against an area that is defined in the device. The area can be defined as a combination of several areas with different characteristics. An area may also be defined as dynamic. The system calculates the shortest distance to this area based on actual GNSS position. If position measurements show that the animal has a position that is outside the area, correction will be performed as a combination of audio signal and electric shock. The correction is made by increasing the audio frequency proportionally with the calculated distance to the area. When the audio frequency has reached an upper limit, one single electric shock is given, and possible further correction is resumed from the position where the electric shock was given.

Claims

1. A method for fencing animals without the use of a physical fence by means of a system including a portable device for attachment to an animal (11) using fastening means, which portable device is provided with power supply means (12), a GNSS unit (16), microcontroller (17) provided with external or internal storage means (18) for generating electric shock (19), and communication means (20a-b), characterized in that the method involves the following steps:

a) system reboot or wake-up from power saving mode,

b) acquiring current position, speed and validity for the position measurement for an animal,

c) checking the current position of the animal in relation to defined area(s) by means of at least one polygon,

d) calculate distance to nearest border line of the configured area(s),

e) checking whether the current position from step c) is within configured area(s), where if the checked position in step c) is inside configured area(s) set the system in power saving mode and if the position from step c) is outside configured area(s), the method continue to step f),

f) checking if calculated distance in step d) is such that correction is to be performed,

g) start correction in the form of affecting the animal in the form of audio, where the audio frequency increases or decreases gradually according to calculated distance to configured area(s),

h) checking if the distance to configured area(s) increases and if it is increasing checking if the audio frequency has reached a predetermined frequency level for electric shock and if the predetermined level is reached, apply an electric shock to the animal, or else return to step g),

i) calculating actual position and registering actual position as a new starting point for further correction,

j) end correction and return to step b).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that step a) includes communicating with an external control unit for the system to acquire configured area(s) and other parameters or characteristics.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that step b) includes that if the animal'"'"'s speed is above a configured threshold, no further correction is performed, and where degree of freedom (KA) is updated and reset after a valid position measurement is done, and measurements show that the animal is located within the defined area.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that step b) includes that if the position measurement does not meet the configured criteria, the measurement is defined as invalid and possible further correction is not performed, and where degree freedom (KA) is updated and reset after a valid position measurement is made, and measurements show that the animal is located within the defined area.

5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that step e) includes that the calculated distance further is used for determining how long the system is to stay in power saving mode.

6. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that step f) comprises checking whether the calculated distance in step d) is increasing or decreasing, which is used to determine whether correction should be performed or not.

7. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that step g) includes that the audio frequency is increased proportionally with increasing distance.

8. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that step h) includes updating a counter on number of shocks, which number is logged and used to identify the animal'"'"'s lack of understanding/confusion, and used to trigger a message to an external device.

9. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further includes performing logging, which logging is used to adapt the power of the electric shock for the individual animal.

10. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further includes giving the animal increased degree of freedom (KA) before correction when the animal has ended up outside the defined area as a result of one or more of these following cases:

a. system rebooting,

b. redefinition of area(s),

c. panic detection,

d. invalid position measurement,

e. temporary system error,

where the degree of freedom is reset after a valid position measurement is made, and this measurement shows that the animal is located within the defined area.

11. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the distance (KA) from the animal to where the correction is to be performed is defined as constant when one or more of the said a)-e) cases occur.

12. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that panic is detected by means of that the animal'"'"'s movement speed exceeds a given configurable limit.

13. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that in connection with panic, the correction is disabled, i.e. the steps f)-h), and correction, step g) is resumed with limited degree of freedom (KA) when panic is no longer detected by that the animal'"'"'s movement speed is below a given configurable limit.

14. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that to avoid inadvertently splitting of an animal herd in connection with correction the method includes updating the animals'"'"' degree of freedom (KA) according to distance of the herd to start of a correction.

15. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method includes wake-up from power saving mode when cyclic control of means for acceleration detection show that the animal is moving, where the time between each cyclic control is given by the calculated distance.

16. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method includes storing data, such as position data, information about number of electric shocks, panic and similar data of interest for evaluation in retrospect.

17. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method includes notifying an animal owner about abnormal circumstances, such as:

a. detection of panic based upon speed measurement,

b. death based on acceleration detection,

c. stuck animal based upon small position change over time given,

d. low battery level,

e. abnormally high number of electric shocks,

f. hardware or software error in the device.

18. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method includes that an animal owner may at any time poll the portable device'"'"'s status or retrieving logged data from the portable device by means of communication means.

19. A system for fencing animals without the use of a physical fence, which system includes a portable device (10) arranged for attachment to an animal (11) by appropriate fastening means, which portable device (10) includes power supply means (12), a GNSS unit (16), microcontroller (17) provided with external or internal storage means (18), means for generating electric shock (19), communication means (20a-b) and audio means (24), characterized in that the system is arranged for continuous monitoring of an animals'"'"' (11) distance (A) to one or more configurable area'"'"'s (30, 36, 37) border lines, which area(s) (30, 36, 37) is defined by one or more polygons with different characteristics in terms of GNSS points (31a-i, 39a-f).

20. System according to claim 19, characterized in that the portable device (10) includes solar cells (13) for charging the power supply (12).

21. System according to claim 19, characterized in that the portable device (10) is provided with means (21) for acceleration detection.

22. System according to claim 19, characterized in that the system is arranged for calculation of the animal'"'"'s movement speed.

23. System according to claim 19, characterized in that the system is arranged for correction of the animal (11) by means audio means (24) with increasing audio frequency which changes according to the distance (A) the animal is from to a configured area (30, 36, 37).

24. System according to claim 23, characterized in that the system is arranged to apply the animal (11) an electric shock (22) by means of means for generating electric shock (19) when the audio frequency is at a predetermined frequency.

25. System according to claim 19, characterized in that the polygon(s) are provided with one or more of the following characteristics:

is defined as an area (30, 36, 37) that the animal is to remain inside or outside,

is provided with a time period where the polygon(s) is to be active within,

is defined as a start or stop polygon of a dynamic area,

is defined as one or more dynamic polygon(s).

26. System according to claim 25, characterized in that the dynamic polygon(s):

is/are defined as two polygons with equal number of points and forming a start and stop polygon, or

is/are defined as a function which gives speed to a point in the start polygon and gradually moves closer to a corresponding point in the stop polygon.

27. System according to claim 26, characterized in that the speed is defined as a function of start time and end time, which function gives a distance the points are to be changed for a specified period of time, or that the speed is specified as a distance the points in the start polygon is to be changed with, which change is gradual for each time interval given.

28. System according to claim 19, characterized in that the system includes external or internal storage means (18) for logging data.