| United States Patent |
5,868,100
|
|
Marsh
|
February 9, 1999
|
Fenceless animal control system using GPS location information
Abstract
A fenceless animal confinement system comprising portable units attached to
the animal and including means for receiving GPS signals and for providing
stimulation to the animal. The GPS signals are processed to provide
location information which is compared to the desired boundary parameters.
If the animal has moved outside the desired area, the stimulation means is
activated. The signal processing circuitry may be included either within
the portable unit or within a separate fixed station.
| Inventors:
|
Marsh; Robert E. (Kansas City, MO)
|
| Assignee:
|
AgriTech Electronics L.C. (Chanute, KS)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
885572 |
| Filed:
|
June 30, 1997 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
119/421; 119/721; 340/573.3; 340/573.4 |
| Intern'l Class: |
A01K 015/02; G08B 023/00 |
| Field of Search: |
119/718,719,720,721
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 4399821 | Aug., 1983 | Bowers.
| |
| 4910500 | Mar., 1990 | Carr.
| |
| 5067441 | Nov., 1991 | Weinstein.
| |
| 5241923 | Sep., 1993 | Janning.
| |
| 5307759 | May., 1994 | Rose.
| |
| 5379224 | Jan., 1995 | Brown et al.
| |
| 5408956 | Apr., 1995 | Quigley.
| |
| 5512902 | Apr., 1996 | Guthrie et al.
| |
| 5570655 | Nov., 1996 | Targa.
| |
| 5575242 | Nov., 1996 | Davis.
| |
| 5742233 | Apr., 1998 | Hoffman et al. | 340/573.
|
Primary Examiner: Price; Thomas
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hovey,Williams,Timmons & Collins
Claims
I claim:
1. An apparatus for controlling the location of an animal comprising:
a portable unit having means for attaching to the animal, said portable
unit including
GPS means for receiving GPS signals and responsive thereto for providing
location information representative of the location of said unit and
thereby the animal, and
stimulation means activatable for applying stimulation to the animal,
said apparatus further including activation means including means for
receiving said location information and responsive thereto for determining
whether said location is outside a defined area and if so, for activating
said stimulation means in order to encourage the animal to return to said
area thereby controlling the location of the animal.
2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said portable unit including said
activation means.
3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including a fixed station
including said activation means, said GPS means including means for
transmitting wireless location signals representative of said location
information, said activation means including receiver means for receiving
said location signals.
4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said activation means including
memory means for storing boundary definition information representative of
said defined area and including means for retrieving said area data for
use in determining whether said location is within said area.
5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, further including transmission
means for transmitting signals representative of boundary definition
information and said activation means further including means for
receiving said signals and determining said boundary definition
information.
6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said stimulation including sound.
7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said stimulation including
electric shock.
8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said GPS means including means
for differential GPS positioning.
9. An apparatus for controlling the location of an animal comprising:
a portable unit having means for attaching to the animal, said portable
unit including
GPS means for receiving GPS signals and responsive thereto for providing
location information representative of the location of said unit and
thereby the animal, and;
stimulation means activatable for applying stimulation to the animal, said
portable unit including means for measuring at least one animal
physiological parameter and said GPS means including means for
transmitting wireless physiological parameter signals representative of
said physiological parameter,
said apparatus further including activation means including means for
receiving said location information and responsive thereto for determining
whether said location is outside a defined area and if so, for activating
said stimulation means in order to encourage the animal to return to said
area thereby controlling the location of the animal,
said apparatus further including a fixed station including said activation
means, said GPS means including means for transmitting wireless location
signals representative of said location information, said activation means
including receiver means for receiving said location signals,
said portable unit including means for measuring at least one animal
physiological parameter, said GPS means including means for transmitting
wireless physiological parameter signals representative of said
physiological parameter.
10. An apparatus for controlling the location of an animal comprising:
a portable unit having means for attaching to the animal, said portable
unit including
including GPS means for receiving GPS signals, transmission means for
transmitting said GPS signals, and stimulation means activatable for
applying stimulation to the animal,
said apparatus further including activation means including means for
receiving GPS signals from said transmission means and responsive thereto
for providing location information and means responsive thereto for
determining whether said location is outside a defined area and if so, for
activating said stimulation means in order to encourage the animal to
return to said area thereby controlling the location of the animal.
11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, further including a fixed
station including
said activation means including
receiver means for receiving said GPS signals and responsive thereto for
providing location information representative of the location of the
portable unit and thereby the animal and
means for determining whether said location is outside a defined area and
if so, for activating said stimulation means in order to encourage the
animal to return to said area thereby controlling the location of the
animal.
12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11, said activation means including
memory means for storing area data representative of said defined area and
including means for retrieving said area data for use in determining
whether said location is within said area.
13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 12, further including transmission
means for transmitting signals representative of boundary definition
information and said activation means further including means for
receiving said signals and determining said boundary definition
information.
14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 11, said activation means further
including means for generating a stimulation signal if the location of the
portable unit is outside said defined area and means for transmitting said
stimulation signal, and said portable unit further including means for
receiving said stimulation signal and activating said stimulation means in
response thereto.
15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, said stimulation including
sound.
16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, said stimulation including
electric shock.
17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, said GPS means including means
for differential positioning.
18. An apparatus for controlling the location of an animal comprising:
a portable unit having means for attaching to the animal, said portable
unit including
GPS means for receiving GPS signals, transmission means for transmitting
said GPS signals, and stimulation means activatable for applying
stimulation to the animal,
said apparatus further including activation means including means for
receiving GPS signals from said transmission means and thereto for
providing location information and means responsive thereto for
determining whether said location is outside a defined area and if so, for
activating said stimulation means in order to encourage the animal to
return to said area thereby controlling the location of the animal,
said apparatus further including a fixed station including
said activation means including receiver means for receiving said GPS
signals and responsive thereto for providing location information
representative of the location of the portable unit and thereby the animal
and
means for determining whether said location is outside a defined area and
if so, for activating said stimulation means in order to encourage the
animal to return to said area thereby controlling the location of the
animal,
said portable unit including means for measuring at least one animal
physiological parameter, said GPS means including means for transmitting
wireless physiological parameter signals representative of said
physiological parameter.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of copending provisional application
number 60/021,342, filed Jul. 8, 1996.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the fenceless control of animals, and more
particularly, to the control of livestock utilizing a receiver attached to
the animal that receives data identifying the location of the animal and
administers appropriate control stimuli to the animal based on the
location of the animal relative to the desired location.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Animal Confinement
Various conventional fencing systems are currently used to control the
location of livestock. These systems include barrier fencing (such as
barbed wire fencing) that physically blocks the movement of the animal and
electric fencing that utilizes an electric shock to control the animal.
The use of electric fencing has become more widespread because of its
lower cost and ease of relocation.
Electric fencing has particular application in managed intensive grazing in
which a large number of animals are confined to a smaller pasture area for
a relatively short duration. Studies have shown that this higher stocking
density followed by a longer period of no grazing yields significantly
increased pasture productivity. This method more closely replicates the
movement of an unrestrained herd of grazing animals and is more consistent
with the evolutionary development of both grasses and grazing animals.
Unfortunately, this method is labor intensive and requires substantial
investment in electric fencing materials.
It is well established that animals respond to electrical stimuli, as
evidenced by the effectiveness of electric fencing. A more recent
development is the use of electrical stimulation via a stimulation device
attached to the animal. Pet confinement systems have been developed that
utilize an animal-attached receiver that applies an electrical shock when
the animal approaches the proximity of a buried, current conducting, wire.
Recent research has established that such a system also has application to
livestock control.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,956, incorporated herein by reference as part of the
disclosure hereof, describes a system in which animals wear small ear tag
receivers that are activated when the animal enters an exclusion zone
defined by stationary field transmitters. This system has particular
application for locations in which traditional fencing is impractical and
it is necessary to permanently exclude animals from sensitive areas.
Various methods have been developed for applying aural and electrical
stimulus, including the ear tag described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,956 and
the electronic nose clip described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,759,
incorporated herein by reference as part of the disclosure hereof.
Collar-mounted units are widely used in dog and other appropriate
confinement applications. It is desirable to provide an audible signal
prior to applying any electrical shock to allow the animal time to move
and avoid the shock. In practice, the audible signal is generally
sufficient to cause the desired animal movement.
Position Determination
Significant advancements have been made in the technology available to
precisely determine the location of an object. The United States
government has placed in operation a multiple satellite global positioning
system ("GPS"). A GPS receiver receives signals from multiple satellites
and calculates the position of the receiver based on the signal data. The
method of operation of GPS systems is well known. For example, U.S. Pat.
No. 5,379,224, incorporated herein by reference as part of the disclosure
hereof, describes GPS system operation in detail. Even greater accuracy is
possible with a "differential" GPS method that determines a correction
factor based on the difference between the GPS-determined location of a
fixed station and the actual known location of that station.
Many types of GPS receivers are available. Most include components to
perform the processing functions necessary to convert the GPS satellite
data into location information. Some receivers simply retransmit the data
received from the GPS satellite to a central processing unit that converts
that data into location information, in an effort to reduce the cost of
the receiver components.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention enables an animal confinement system that does not
require physical fencing and that permits virtually labor-free
redefinition of the confinement boundaries.
In the preferred embodiment a portable unit is attached to each animal that
includes a GPS receiver and a means for providing an audible signal and an
electrical shock. Each portable unit further includes a suitable battery
and appropriate electrical circuitry.
In one embodiment, the portable unit also contains signal processing
components necessary to convert the GPS signal into location information
and a remotely programmable memory to receive and store the desired
boundary parameters. Circuitry within the portable unit compares the
GPS-defined location information with the defined boundary parameters and
activates the audible signal, and if necessary, the electrical shock
circuitry, when the portable unit approaches the defined boundary. For
increased precision, a fixed station may also be used with this
arrangement for differential GPS positioning.
In another embodiment, the portable unit receives the GPS signal and
retransmits it to a fixed station. The fixed station receives and stores
the desired boundary parameters, performs the necessary signal processing
to convert the GPS data to location information, and performs the
necessary comparison of the unit location and the defined boundary. The
fixed station then, if necessary, transmits to the portable unit
appropriate signals activating the audible warning and, if necessary, the
electrical shock circuitry located in the portable unit.
Another aspect of this invention is to provide specific location
information with respect to each animal to facilitate animal location,
counting and the monitoring of individual animal behavior.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the primary physical elements of the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the primary functional components of
one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the primary functional components of
another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the signal processing and stimulus determination
process of the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the primary physical elements of the
portable unit of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings for an overview of the present invention,
FIG. 1 illustrates the primary components of one embodiment of the present
invention. GPS satellites 10 and 12 continuously transmit data signals.
Attached to each animal 14 is a portable unit 16. A system operator 70,
enters the desired boundary parameters using a boundary definition
transmitter 72 that transmits a boundary definition signal received by a
receiver in the portable unit 16. A fixed station 50 may be used for
signal processing and/or differential positioning for increased accuracy.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the portable unit includes a GPS receiver 30 that
receives signals from GPS satellites 10 and 12. Timing circuit 29
periodically activates the GPS receiver 30 at appropriate time intervals
to conserve energy. Satellite signals are processed by processor 32 to
provide location information data. The operation of GPS receivers and the
processing of the signals to yield location data are well known in the art
such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,224, previously incorporated
herein by reference.
The portable unit 16 also contains a receiver 40 that receives a boundary
definition signal incorporating boundary definition data provided by the
system operator 70. The operator 70 enters the desired boundary parameters
into a boundary definition transmitter 72 that transmits a signal
containing that data to receiver 40. The boundary parameter data is stored
in memory 42. Comparison processor 44 compares the location information
data provided by processor 32 with the desired parameters received by
receiver 40 and stored in memory 42. If the location information indicates
that the portable unit is within a predefined distance of the boundary
parameters, comparison processor 44 provides an output signal to
stimulation processor 46 indicating that a boundary violation has
occurred.
Upon occurrence of a boundary violation as indicated by comparison
processor 44, stimulation processor 46 is activated. Based on the
flowchart shown in FIG. 4, stimulation processor 46 determines the
appropriate stimulus (audible or shock) and the timing of the stimulus. A
locking means is appropriate to prevent excessive stimulation. U.S. Pat.
No. 5,408,956, previously incorporated herein by reference, describes in
detail a suitable stimulation circuit and locking means.
As shown in FIG. 5, the portable unit includes a battery 20, electrodes 22
and 24, antenna 26, and a housing 28 containing stimulus and receiving
components and circuitry and, in one embodiment, processing components.
The portable unit also includes animal attachment structure such as ear
tag bolt 21. U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,956, previously incorporated herein by
reference, provides a detailed description of the structure and operation
of a portable unit that could be adapted for use with the present
invention by one skilled in the art.
The processing functions performed in processor 32, comparison processor 44
and stimulation processor 46 could be performed using one or more
computers, programmable microprocessor controllers, or similar devices
well known in the art. Alternatively, these, and other elements of the
present invention could be incorporated in a single suitable integrated
circuit or microprocessor.
As shown in FIG. 2, for increased accuracy differential positioning can be
utilized incorporating an error correction factor provided by a fixed
station 80 located at a known position. The GPS signals are received by
fixed station receiver 81 and GPS location information for the fixed
station is determined from the signals by fixed station processor 82. An
error correction factor is determined by processor 82 and transmitted by
fixed station transmitter 84 to receiver 40. Differential positioning is
well known in the art and is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No.
5,379,224, previously incorporated herein by reference. Other enhanced
accuracy GPS positioning techniques exist and the present invention is not
intended to be limited to the methods described. One skilled in the art
could apply any GPS positioning method to the present invention.
Although FIG. 2 shows a fixed station to afford differential positioning
capability, it is important to note that this fixed station is not
necessary for a fully functional system. A fully functional system is
afforded by only the portable unit components shown in FIG. 2.
As shown in FIG. 3, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, the
signal processing function is performed at a fixed station 50 that
receives unprocessed GPS data from multiple portable units. The fixed
station input register 54 is loaded with boundary parameters, either
manually or using a remote transmitter comparable to that shown as element
72 in FIG. 2. Fixed station receiver 52 receives retransmitted signals
from the portable unit. Fixed station processor 56 processes the
retransmitted data to determine the location of the portable unit and
compares the portable unit location with the desired boundary parameters
entered in register 54. If a boundary violation is detected for any
portable unit, stimulation processor 58 determines the appropriate
stimulation and transmits an appropriate stimulation command to the
portable unit 16 via transmitter 59. The transmitted signal includes an
appropriate code to insure that only the specified portable unit is
activated. The fixed station is constructed of a durable, weatherproof
material and is ideally located as near as practical to the center of the
pasture.
In the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 3, each portable unit contains,
in addition to GPS receiver 30, a transmitter 60 for retransmitting data
to the fixed station 50, and a receiver 64 for receiving signals from the
fixed station. Encoder 62 adds an appropriate code to the retransmitted
signal to identify the specific source portable unit. Upon occurrence of a
boundary violation, the fixed station transmitter 59 transmits an
appropriate activation signal to the portable unit receiver 64 to trigger
either a tone generated by speaker circuit 66 or a shock administered by
shock circuit 68.
In this embodiment, processors 56 and 58 (which correlate to processors 32,
44, and 46 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.) are all contained within
the fixed station. The fixed station may also include a separate GPS
receiver and be used to facilitate differential positioning in this
embodiment as well. It should be noted that in this embodiment information
is available at the fixed station that is sufficient to provide complete
information on the location of all animals in the herd. That information
could be retransmitted to an appropriate control location or displayed or
printed by the fixed station. If desired, an alarm could be activated at
the fixed station to advise the operator if an animal crosses the defined
boundary.
An alternative embodiment of the system described above incorporates within
the ear tag means for monitoring desired physiological parameters of the
animal, such as body temperature, blood pressure, or heart parameters.
Systems for monitoring these parameters are well known, such as the system
described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,821, incorporated herein by reference and
made a part of the disclosure hereof. Signals representing this
physiological information are included with the location information
signals transmitted to the fixed station. In this embodiment complete
information regarding the animal and its location is available at the
fixed station or can be retransmitted from the fixed station to a separate
control location.
Referring now to FIG. 2 to describe the operation of the present invention,
operator 70 enters appropriate boundary parameters in the data entry
register of boundary definition transmitter 72. For example, the operator
may define a rectangle by entering the latitude and longitude of each of
the four corners, either by direct entry of the parameters or my moving
the boundary definition transmitter to a desired point and utilizing GPS
location determination means in the boundary definition transmitter to
determine the latitude and longitude of that point and enter those
parameters as the desired corner location. Similarly, the operator could
define a circle by the latitude and longitude of its center and a
specified radius. Other standard shapes could be preprogrammed into the
data entry register of the boundary definition transmitter 72. The design
and operation of a suitable transmitter and means for entering boundary
parameters are well known in the art and are not repeated here.
The boundary definition signal transmission from transmitter 72 is received
by receiver 40 and the data is stored in memory 42. At this point, no
further operator involvement is needed until it is desired to change the
boundary parameters.
Animal 14 wearing a portable unit 16 grazes within a pasture. In most cases
the pasture will have a boundary fence surrounding the overall pasture.
The animal's movement within the pasture, however, will be controlled by
the present invention. As the animal grazes, the GPS receiver 30 is
periodically activated by timing circuit 29 to receive GPS signals from
satellites 10 and 12. Receiver activation should occur at least once per
second. Receiver 30 provides a signal to processor 32 for conversion into
location information. Location information is conveyed from processor 32
to comparison processor 44. If comparison processor 44 determines that the
animal has moved to within a defined distance, for example, 5 meters, of
the specified boundary stored in memory 42, the stimulation processor 46
is activated.
As shown in FIG. 4, stimulation processor 46 determines the appropriate
stimulation for a given boundary violation. Initially the animal receives
an audible warning via speaker circuit 48. In most situations, this
warning should cause the animal to change direction to avoid an electrical
shock. If, however, after multiple successive samples the animal's
location still causes a boundary violation, an electrical shock is applied
via shock circuit 49. It is recognized that GPS location error may result
in slightly inconsistent boundary violation determinations. If excessive
errors result in animal confusion, the stimulation processor 46 could be
programmed to require multiple violation signals before administering any
audible signal or electrical shock.
By periodically (or continuously) modifying the boundary parameters, it is
possible to precisely manage movement of the herd. Thus this invention
could be used to gradually move a group of animals to a desired
destination for examination, shipment, or processing. Appropriate
programming can be used to execute a series of pre-programmed boundary
changes to effect desired animal movement. If boundary changes are
possible without direct operator supervision, appropriate locking means,
comparable to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,956, should be
included to prevent repeated stimulation and confusion of a stationary
animal.
Although the embodiments described above are generally intended to confine
the animal within a desired area, the opposite result of excluding the
animal from a specified area would simply be a matter of defining the
desired area to be all areas other than the specified exclusion area.
* * * * *