Animal containment system having a dynamically changing perimeter

• US 6,581,546 B1
• Filed: 02/14/2002
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zareba Systems, Inc. (Woodstream Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Waters Instruments, Inc. (Woodstream Corporation)
• Inventors: Dalland, Donald G., Grabowski, Gerald Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): ABBOTT, YVONNE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US10/076,717
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 119/712, 119/174, 119/719, 119/720, 119/721
• US Class Current: 119/712
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/023 Anti-evasion devices

Abstract

The present invention provides for animal containment through a system having a containment collar and GPS (Global Positioning System), RF (Radio Frequency), or INS (Inertial Navigation System) data, or a combination thereof, to define the perimeter of a containment area. A receiver is mounted to the containment collar, worn by an animal, which contains positioning electronics, memory and warning outputs. The user defines the perimeter by programming “waypoints” (positions on the perimeter) into the collar. The system provides an audible warning when the animal is within a user programmable distance of the perimeter, and then provides an adjustable correction, such as an electrical impulse to the animal when the perimeter boundaries are exceeded. Upon perimeter violation and initial correction of the animal, the system dynamically changes the position of the boundary encompassing the animal'"'"'s current but prohibited position. Then the dynamic boundary may be gradually or incrementally changed so as to direct the animal toward the original perimeter. This in effect creates an “amnesty alley” or a bubble/bulge in the perimeter so the animal is not continuously corrected and can go back within the original perimeter without correction. The boundary then returns to its original configuration once the animal is back inside the perimeter.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing a dynamically-changing confinement perimeter for a subject comprising:

a portable unit for attachment to the subject, said portable unit comprising;

a receiver that receives signals providing spatial information and;

a processor comprising;

a memory containing user-defined boundary data;

a comparator that receives said spatial information and compares

said spatial information against said user-defined boundary data and determines if portable unit is within a perimeter defined by said user-defined boundary data;

a perimeter modifier by which said processor dynamically alters the user-defined boundary data to create one or more new perimeters encompassing the portable unit if the portable unit is moved outside of a perimeter.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the user-defined boundary data is inputtable into said memory by a user physically transporting the portable unit along a user-chosen boundary and entering waypoints defining said perimeter, at least one waypoint being established by received spatial information from said receiver corresponding to the physical position of the portable unit upon entry of said waypoint.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the portable unit is a collar designed to be attached to an animal.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising an audible alarm circuit programmed to sound an alarm if the portable unit is within a predetermined distance of a perimeter.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, further comprising a correction generation circuit that provides a correction to the animal if the animal crosses a perimeter.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the processor is adapted to periodically compare spatial information of the portable unit with the spatial information of the first new perimeter and determine if the portable unit is within a first new perimeter.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the processor is adapted to dynamically change an initial perimeter to create a subsequent perimeter encompassing the portable unit upon at least a first event of if the portable unit being moved outside of the initial perimeter.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said received signals received by said receiver are Global Positioning Signals.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said received signals received by said receiver are Radio Frequency Signals.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, further comprising:

a stationary GPS receiver separate from said portable unit for satellite positional data adapted to compare a known stationary position with a satellite-derived position; and

an error correction component to adjust for errors in the satellite-derived position.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10 further comprising an RF transmitter adapted to transmit an error correction signal for errors that exist in the satellite-derived position.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said portable unit further comprises an RF receiver adapted to receive the error correction signal;

and an error compensating component adapted to correct the satellite-derived position.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8, further comprising an accelerometer, wherein the processor is adapted to receive acceleration data from the accelerometer and provide updated spatial data for the portable unit in combination with the spatial data of the portable unit.

14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 13, wherein the accelerometer data is gathered from a 2-axis accelerometer.

15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 13, wherein the accelerometer data is gathered from a 3-axis accelerometer.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9;

further comprising an RF transmitter separate from said portable unit adapted to transmit a predetermined signal at a predetermined threshold.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein the portable unit further comprises an RF receiver adapted to receive the transmitted signal for use by the processor.

18. The apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein the processor is adapted to compare a received signal threshold to the imputed signal threshold signal defining the perimeter data in the memory to determine if the portable unit is within said perimeter.

19. A method for providing a dynamically-changing confinement perimeter for a subject comprising:

attaching a portable unit to the subject, the portable unit having a memory;

receiving to said portable unit signals providing spatial information;

providing an initial boundary;

comparing received said spatial information against spatial data corresponding to a user-defined boundary;

determining if portable unit is within said initial boundary; and

modifying an existing boundary to create at least one subsequent boundary encompassing the portable unit upon the occurrence of the portable unit being moved outside of the initial boundary.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19, wherein the step of providing an existing boundary comprises the steps of:

inputting a perimeter into said memory by transporting the portable unit along a user-chosen boundary; and

establishing said waypoints by receiving spatial data corresponding to the physical position of the portable unit at the time of waypoint establishment, and storing said spatial data into said memory.

21. The method as set forth in claim 20, wherein the portable unit is a collar designed to be attached to an animal.

22. The method as set forth in claim 21, further comprising the step of sounding an audible alarm if the portable unit is within a predetermined distance of a boundary.

23. The method as set forth in claim 22, further comprising the step of imparting a correction to the animal if the animal crosses a boundary.

24. The method as set forth in claim 23, further comprising the steps of periodically comparing the spatial data of the portable unit with the spatial data of a subsequent boundary and determining if the portable unit is within said subsequent boundary.

25. The method as set forth in claim 24, further comprising the step of changing the existing boundary to create a subsequent boundary encompassing the portable unit in response to the portable unit being moved exterior to the existing boundary.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of returning an existing boundary to a prior boundary upon the portable unit being moved to the interior of the prior boundary.

27. The method as set forth in claim 25, wherein said received signals received by said receiver are Global Positioning Signals.

28. The method as set forth in claim 25, wherein said received signals received by said receiver are Radio Frequency Signals.

29. The method as set forth in claim 27, further comprising the steps of:

comparing a known stationary position from a stationary GPS receiver with a satellite-derived position of the stationary GPS receiver; and

determining if errors exist in the satellite-derived position.

30. The method as set forth in claim 29;

further comprising the step of transmitting an error correction signal to impart a correction for errors that exist in the satellite-derived position.

31. The method as set forth in claim 30, further comprising the steps of:

receiving the error correction signal at said portable unit; and

correcting the received GPS signal in accordance with said error correction signal.

32. The method as set forth in claim 27, further comprising the steps of:

receiving acceleration data from an accelerometer; and

combining the spatial data of the portable unit with the accelerometer data to provide updated spatial data for the portable unit.

33. The method as set forth in claim 32, wherein the accelerometer data is gathered from a 2-axis accelerometer.

34. The method as set forth in claim 32, wherein the accelerometer data is gathered from a 3-axis accelerometer.

35. The method as set forth in claim 28 further comprising the step of transmitting a RF predetermined signal at a predetermined threshold.

36. The method as set forth in claim 35, further comprising the steps of:

receiving at the portable unit the transmitted predetermined signal;

transferring it to a processor contained on the portable unit;

comparing a received predetermined signal to a threshold signal defining the at least one waypoint in the memory; and

determining if the portable unit is within the user-defined perimeter.