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.
A self powered monitoring device for monitoring an animal's temperature and other vital signs. The device may be mounted in the animal's ear, under the animals skin, or in any location which can be used to generate a reliable indication of the animals temperature and other vital signs. The temperature probe for the device is inserted subcutaneously and thermally and/or electrically connected to the housing of the device. Power for the device is provided by a miniature array of solar cells, the power from the solar cells being used to drive digital circuitry which processes signals from the various probes used to gather data concerning the animal's vital signs. The size of the array is chosen to be commensurate with the number of vital signs monitored, with the amount of sunlight, density of herd, and other factors being considered to ensure sufficient power for the device.
An electronic containment system using positional satellites is provided for controlling the movement of animals relative to a selected confinement area. A portable programming transceiver is used to program the boundary of a selected confinement area as the device is moved along such boundary. A programmable collar transceiver worn by the animal provides GPS signals from the satellite to a remotely located control station. The control station tracks the movement of the animal relative to the boundary. If the animal crosses the boundary, the station transmits a stimulus activation signal to the collar so that a corrective stimulus may be produced for the animal. Tracking and containment of objects are accomplished by providing GPS-defined, user-programmable containment areas.
An echo-ranging boundary system is provided for controlling the access of animals to predefined areas. An electronic transponder collar is affixed to an animal for exclusion from a predefined area. An ultrasonic beacon, defining a transmission reference point, periodically transmits a directional ultrasonic interrogation signal for determining the location of animals provided with transponder collars. The transponder collar emits an ultrasonic reply signal, detected by the station after a period of time defined by the propagation delay of the ultrasonic reply signal. The propagation delay of the reply signal is directly proportional to the distance between the transponder and the interrogation signal reference point. A timing threshold is set at the transmission station corresponding to a desired control distance. Reply signals returned before a device time-out are compared to the timing threshold. If the elapsed time of the propagated reply signal is less than the user selected threshold a correction pulse is transmitted to the animal transponder collar.
A system and method of tracking individuals divided into flocks by means of radio communication and positioning systems is disclosed. A flock leader is provided with a first electronic device (1) comprising a first transceiver (2) operating in a public radio communication network, e.g. GSM or GPRS, a position tracker (3), e.g. a GPS-receiver, and a second transceiver (4) operating in a short distance radio communication system, e.g. Bluetooth.RTM.. Each of the remaining individuals in the flock is provided with a second electronic device (6) comprising at least a third transceiver (7) also operating in the short distance radio communication system. The second electronic device (6) periodically transmits data identifying the associated individual to the first electronic device (1), so that the flock leader knows that the individual is localized in the flock (i.e. within the coverage area of the short distance radio communication system) as long as it receives the data. The first electronic device (1) communicates with a system controller through a public radio communication network managing the system and keeping track of the individuals in each flock.
A programmable boundary pet containment system is provided for controlling the access of animals to areas outside of programmed boundaries. A programmable relay collar is provided on an animal to transmit positional data as detected from positional satellites to a remotely located processing station. The processing station calculates the relayed data to determine the position of the animal relative to a configuration data file establishing confinement area boundaries. Animals that are detected as venturing beyond the programmed boundaries are subject to a correction stimulus, such as a mild shock or audible signal, delivered to the animal by the relay collar as enabled by the remotely located processing station.
