Object locator

• US 6,421,001 B1
• Filed: 10/03/2000
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pfizer Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jennifer Durst
• Inventors: McAlexander, Joseph C., Fowler, Eugene F., Durst, Jennifer
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US09/678,345
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.07, 342/357.09, 342/357.13, 342/457, 342/357.1, 701/213, 340/573.3, 340/573.4
• US Class Current: 342/357.55
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 27/009 with electric-shock, sound, magnetic- or radio-waves emitting devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/16 Anti-theft; Abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/36 relating to the receiver frond end
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0247 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0261 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect trespassing over a fixed physical boundary, e.g. the end of a garden
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS

Abstract

There is disclosed an object locator system (10) for requesting and obtaining information about the location of an individual animal or moveable object, having a lightweight, attached object locator (42), that is present in a region served by a two-way paging system (12) and a global positioning satellite system (50). The object locator (42) may be selectively activated to conserve power or enabled to respond only when beyond or within a boundary. Further, the object locator system (10) may provide the location information in several forms including rectangular or polar coordinates referred to a base station (18) or origin, position on a map display, etc.

Claims

1. A method for locating or tracking an animal having attached thereto an object locator operable to communicate via a two-way paging system with a base station, comprising the steps of:

securing a collar, having the object locator and a GPS antenna coupled thereto integrated with the collar, to the body of the animal;

enabling a GPS receiver in the object locator upon expiration of a predetermined time to acquire location coordinates for a position of the animal from a GPS system and store the location coordinates in a memory in the object locator;

disabling the GPS receiver after acquisition of the location coordinates;

loading the location coordinates stored in the memory into a paging transmitter integrated with the object locator and transmitting the location coordinates via the paging system to the base station; and

outputting the location of the animal in human readable form at the base station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of securing comprises the step of positioning the collar around the body of the animal wherein the antenna coupled to the GPS receiver in the object locator is disposed above the animal and the object locator is disposed below the animal, wherein the greater mass of the object locator maintains the antenna disposed above and facing away from the animal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of enabling comprises the step of:

generating and coupling a control signal in the object locator, responsive to the expiration of the predetermined time, to an enable input of the GPS receiver to activate the GPS receiver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of disabling comprises the step of:

removing a control signal, provided in response to the expiration of the predetermined time, from an enable input of the GPS receiver thereby inactivating the GPS receiver.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of loading comprises the steps of:

reading the location coordinates from the memory;

converting the location coordinates to a modulating format; and

modulating the paging transmitter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of outputting comprises the steps of:

processing the location coordinates to convert the location information into a displayable format; and

displaying the location information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of processing comprises the step of:

converting the location coordinates to degrees of longitude and latitude.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of processing comprises the step of:

converting the location coordinates to an indicated position on a map.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of processing comprises the step of:

converting the location coordinates to a heading and a range relative to an origin located at the base station.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of enabling comprises the step of:

activating a transmission of location information when the object locator is beyond a predetermined limit.

10. Apparatus for locating or tracking an animal having attached to the body thereof an object locator operable to communicate via a two-way paging system with a base station, comprising:

a mechanism to secure a collar, having said object locator and a GPS antenna coupled thereto integrated with said collar, to said body of said animal;

a first control to enable a GPS receiver in said object locator upon expiration of a predetermined time to acquire location coordinates for a position of said animal from a GPS system and store said location coordinates in a memory in said object locator;

a second control to disable said GPS receiver after acquisition of said location coordinates;

a first circuit to load said location coordinates stored in said memory into a paging transmitter integrated with said object locator and transmitting said location coordinates via said paging system to said base station; and

a display to output said location of said animal in human readable form at said base station.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said mechanism to secure comprises a device to support said collar around said body of said animal wherein said antenna coupled to said GPS receiver in said object locator is disposed above said animal and said object locator is disposed below said animal, wherein said greater mass of said object locator maintains said antenna disposed above and facing away from said animal.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said first control comprises:

a second circuit to generate a control signal in said object locator, responsive to said expiration of a predetermined time, and couple said control signal to an enable input of said GPS receiver to activate said GPS receiver.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said second control comprises:

a device to inhibit said control signal, provided in response to said expiration of a predetermined time from an enable input of said GPS receiver thereby inactivating said GPS receiver.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said first circuit comprises:

a reading device to read said location coordinates from said memory;

a converting device to convert said location coordinates to a modulating format; and

a modulator to modulate said paging transmitter.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said display comprises:

a display processor to convert said location information into a displayable format; and

a display device to display said location information.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said display processor comprises:

outputs said location information in degrees of longitude and latitude.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said display processor comprises:

outputs said location information as an indicated position on a map.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said display processor comprises:

outputs said location information as a heading and a range relative to an origin located at said base station.

20. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said first control comprises:

a third circuit to activate a transmission of location information when said object locator is beyond a predetermined limit.

21. An object locator for attachment to an animal for tracking said animal, comprising:

a controller having a memory, an input for location data and a first communication port;

a satellite signal receiver coupled to a first antenna to receive first location data and at least second location data and having a location data output coupled to said location data input of said controller;

a paging transceiver coupled to a second antenna to receive and to transmit communications between said object locator and a base station and having a second communication port coupled to said first communication port of said controller;

wherein said controller is adapted to receive said first location data and said second location data from said satellite signal receiver, store said location data in said memory and cause said first location data and said second location data to be accessible from said memory, said controller further coupled to said paging transceiver to communicate said second location data to said base station when said second location data indicates a location of said object locator beyond a perimeter with respect to said first location data, said first location data establishing an origin.

22. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said controller comprises:

a microprocessor operable according to a program stored in said memory to control said object locator.

23. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said memory is positioned on a same substrate as said controller.

24. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said controller comprises:

a control output for enabling an operating mode of said object locator, said operating mode including a satellite signal reception mode to obtain said first and second location data, a paging reception mode to receive instructions and a paging transmission mode to transmit said first and second location data.

25. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said controller comprises:

an enable terminal responsive to an activation signal output relative to an operational threshold.

26. The object locator of claim 25, wherein said operational threshold comprises:

a predetermined limit defining a distance of said object locator from said origin.

27. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said first communication port of said controller comprises:

a signal input providing signals received by said paging transceiver; and

a signal output providing signals to be transmitted by said paging transceiver.

28. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said satellite signal receiver comprises:

a receiving device having an RF input coupled to said first antenna;

an enable input responsive to an activation signal; and

an output to provide a location data signal, wherein said satellite signal receiver is configured to receive and process position signals to provide said location data signal.

29. The object locator of claim 28, wherein said position signals comprises differential GPS signals.

30. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said first antenna coupled to said satellite signal receiver comprises a satellite signal receive antenna.

31. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said paging transceiver comprises:

a receiver coupled to said second antenna during a paging reception mode to receive transmissions from said base station via a paging system; and

a transmitter coupled to said second antenna during a transmission mode to transmit location data transmissions to said base station via said paging system.

32. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said second antenna comprises a two-way paging antenna.

33. The object locator of claim 21, said object locator further comprising:

a signal detector responsive to a predetermined parameter of an RF signal received by said second antenna in excess of a predetermined threshold to provide an output operable to enable said controller and cause said activation of said satellite signal receiver.

34. The object locator of claim 33, wherein said predetermined parameter comprises at least one parameter selected from the group including signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, time of transmission and the displacement of said signal detector relative to a predetermined location.

35. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said predetermined parameter comprises at least the displacement of said object locator relative to a predetermined threshold.

36. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said object locator further comprises:

a housing to package said controller, satellite signal receiver and paging transceiver together wherein said housing is disposed upon a collar to provide attachment of said object locator to said animal such that the mass of said controller, satellite signal receiver and paging transmitter packaged together is operable to cause said first antenna to be oriented skyward.

37. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said object locator further comprises:

a collar secured around a body of said animal wherein said first antenna is disposed above said animal and oriented skyward; and

wherein said controller, satellite signal receiver and paging transceiver of said object locator are disposed with said collar to maintain said first antenna oriented skyward.

38. The object locator of claim 21, wherein said object locator further comprises:

a rechargeable battery coupled to said controller and to a solar cell circuit to provide recharging of said rechargeable battery.