Intelligent strike indicator

• US 7,562,488 B1
• Filed: 12/31/2007
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pulstone Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Pulstone Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Williams, Patrick, Jacobson, Lorin, Perkins, James, Jacobson, Lucas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ark; Darren W
• Application Number:
  US11/967,922
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 43/17, 43/45
• US Class Current: 43/17
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 87/007 with built-in accessories, e.g. lighting means or measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 97/125 using electronic components

Abstract

A strike indicator that indicates when a fish bites and reduces false positives, comprising a light source, a power source, a printed circuit board, an accelerometer integrated circuit mounted on said printed circuit board, and a microcontroller mounted on said printed circuit board. The strike indicator may be housed in a fishing rod, with the light source illuminating the tip of the rod. The accelerometer detects acceleration of the rod, and the microcontroller utilizes an algorithm to determine whether the acceleration is due to a fish biting or due to other causes. If the acceleration is due to a fish biting, the light source is activated, alerting the user that a fish is biting.

Claims

1. A method of indicating when a fish bites, where said method comprises the steps of:

utilizing a fishing rod with a strike indicator for indicating a fish bite while fishing, where said strike indicator comprises;

a light source;

a power source;

a printed circuit board;

an accelerometer integrated circuit mounted on said printed circuit board; and

a microcontroller mounted on said printed circuit board;

detecting an acceleration on said fishing rod with said accelerometer integrated circuit;

beginning an algorithm with said microcontroller to determine whether said acceleration is due to said fish bite, where said algorithm filters out false positives, where said algorithm comprises the step of determining whether an angle of said fishing rod has changed by calculating an angle of gravity; and

activating said light source at a rate that indicates how much time has passed since said light source began flashing if said microcontroller determines said fish bite.

2. The method of claim 1 where said algorithm further comprises the steps of:

determining whether a strike occurred state is set to true, where said strike occurred state set to true indicates that a strike previously occurred and said strike occurred state was set to true pursuant to said algorithm;

if said strike occurred state is set to true, activating said light source;

regardless of whether said strike occurred state is set to true or false, determining whether a change in said acceleration has occurred;

if said change in said acceleration has not occurred, entering a timed sleep mode;

if said change in said acceleration has occurred, taking multiple samples of accelerations and adding said samples to a buffer and proceeding to determine whether a certain percentage of said accelerations in said buffer is large enough to indicate a cast;

if said certain percentage of said accelerations in said buffer is large enough to indicate said cast, deactivating said light source, ignoring future accelerations for a certain length of time, setting said strike occurred state to false, and entering said timed sleep mode;

if said certain percentage of said accelerations in said buffer is not large enough to indicate said cast, determining whether said angle of said fishing rod has changed by calculating the angle of gravity;

if said angle of said fishing rod has changed, setting said strike occurred state to true and entering said timed sleep mode;

if said angle of said fishing rod has not changed, determining whether said acceleration is non-decaying and periodic;

if said acceleration is non-decaying and periodic, entering said timed sleep mode; and

if said acceleration is not periodic or is periodic and decaying, setting said strike occurred state to true and entering said timed sleep mode.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of capacitors mounted on said printed circuit board.

4. The method of claim 3 where said plurality of capacitors totals 4.

5. The method of claim 1 where said light source is a light emitting diode.

6. The method of claim 1 where said power source is two 1.5 volt batteries.

7. The method of claim 1 where said strike indicator additionally comprises a radio transmitter and a remote handheld device that receives and analyzes transmissions from said transmitter.

8. The method of claim 1 where said strike indicator is internally housed within said fishing rod.

9. The method of claim 8 where said fishing rod comprises a transparent rod tip.

10. The method of claim 9 where said transparent rod tip is designed to maximize light output from said light source.

11. The method of claim 8 where said fishing rod comprises a translucent rod tip.

12. The method of claim 11 where said translucent rod tip is designed to maximize light output from said light source.

13. A method of indicating when a fish bites, said method comprising the steps of:

utilizing a fishing rod with a strike indicator for indicating a fish bite while fishing, where said strike indicator comprises;

a light source;

a power source;

a printed circuit board;

an accelerometer integrated circuit mounted on said printed circuit board; and

a microcontroller mounted on said printed circuit board;

detecting an acceleration on said fishing rod with said accelerometer integrated circuit;

beginning an algorithm with said microcontroller to determine whether said acceleration is due to said fish bite, where said algorithm filters out false positives, where said algorithm comprises the steps of;

determining whether a strike occurred state is set to true, where said strike occurred state set to true indicates that a strike previously occurred and said strike occurred state was set to true pursuant to said algorithm;

if said strike occurred state is set to true, activating said light source;

regardless of whether said strike occurred state is set to true or false, determining whether a change in said acceleration has occurred;

if said change in said acceleration has not occurred, entering a timed sleep mode;

if said change in said acceleration has occurred, taking multiple samples of accelerations and adding said samples to a buffer and proceeding to determine whether a certain percentage of said accelerations in said buffer is large enough to indicate a cast;

if said certain percentage of said accelerations in said buffer is large enough to indicate said cast, deactivating said light source, ignoring future accelerations for a certain length of time, setting said strike occurred state to false, and entering said timed sleep mode;

if said certain percentage of said accelerations in said buffer is not large enough to indicate said cast, determining whether an angle of said fishing rod has changed by calculating an angle of gravity;

if said angle of said fishing rod has changed, setting said strike occurred state to true and entering said timed sleep mode;

if said angle of said fishing rod has not changed, determining whether said acceleration is non-decaying and periodic;

if said acceleration is non-decaying and periodic, entering said timed sleep mode; and

if said acceleration is not periodic or is periodic and decaying, setting said strike occurred state to true and entering said timed sleep mode; and

activating said light source if said microcontroller determines said fish bite.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of activating said light source further comprises causing said light source to flash at a rate that indicates how much time has passed since said light source began flashing.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of capacitors mounted on said printed circuit board.

16. The method of claim 13 where said light source is a light emitting diode.

17. The method of claim 13 where said power source is two 1.5 volt batteries.

18. The method of claim 13 where said strike indicator additionally comprises a radio transmitter and a remote handheld device that receives and analyzes transmissions from said transmitter.

19. The method of claim 13 where said strike indicator is internally housed within said fishing rod.

20. The method of claim 19 where said fishing rod comprises a transparent rod tip or a translucent rod tip designed to maximize light output from said light source.