Pet location tracking system, pet food bowls and transmitters

Abstract

The transmitter attached to the pet will always have power remaining, allowing for effective searching of the pet. [Solution] The pet location recognition system 1 comprises a transmitter 20 attached to the pet 2, a location recognition device 40 that recognizes information regarding the location of the pet 2 based on the signal transmitted by the transmitter 20, and a pet food bowl 3 having a wireless power supply unit 30 that wirelessly supplies power to the transmitter 20. The wireless power supply unit 30 is configured to wirelessly supply power to the transmitter 20 attached to the pet 2 when the pet 2 brings its mouth close to the pet food bowl 3.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed herein relates to a pet position recognition system, a pet dish, and a transmitter.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, a transmitting device (radio wave type wireless tag) is carried by a person, a pet, etc., and when it becomes lost, a search request specifying the ID is transmitted to a search support server. A search list specifying the ID of the search target is transmitted from the search support server to a mobile terminal such as a smartphone carried by a search cooperator and stored in the mobile terminal. When the mobile terminal detects radio waves of short-range wireless communication, a search support program is activated, and if the ID specified from the received signal is included in the search list, a discovery notification is transmitted to the search support server, and search information such as discovery information is accumulated in the search support server.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, in order for the mobile terminal to detect radio waves such as short-range wireless communication, the transmitting device needs to continuously output radio waves. However, if radio waves are continuously output for a long time, there may not be sufficient power remaining in the transmitting device. In such a case, it becomes difficult to detect the radio waves of the transmitting device, and it is impossible to effectively search when a pet or the like becomes lost.

[0005] The technology disclosed herein has been made in view of such a point, and its object is to always keep the power of the transmitter attached to the pet and enable effective search of the pet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The pet location recognition system disclosed herein comprises a transmitter attached to a pet, a location recognition device that recognizes information regarding the pet's location based on a signal transmitted by the transmitter, and a pet bowl having a wireless power supply unit that wirelessly supplies power to the transmitter. The wireless power supply unit is configured to wirelessly supply power to the transmitter attached to the pet when the pet brings its mouth close to the pet bowl.

[0007] The pet bowl disclosed herein is a pet bowl having a wireless power supply unit that wirelessly supplies power to a transmitter attached to a pet. The wireless power supply unit is configured to wirelessly supply power to the transmitter when the pet brings its mouth close to the pet bowl.

[0008] The transmitter disclosed herein is a transmitter to be attached to a pet and comprises a transmitting unit that transmits a signal for recognizing information about the pet's location, a receiving unit that receives wireless power from a pet bowl having a wireless power supply unit that wirelessly supplies power to the transmitter, and a power supply unit that supplies power to the transmitting unit and the receiving unit. When the pet brings its mouth close to the pet bowl, the transmitter can receive wireless power from the wireless power supply unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the pet location recognition system and the like of this disclosure, it is possible to keep the power of the transmitter attached to the pet constantly available. Therefore, it is possible to effectively search for a pet when it goes missing. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is an example of a diagram illustrating the configuration of a pet location recognition system. [Figure 2]This is an example of a diagram showing a pet bringing its mouth close to a pet food bowl. [Figure 3] This is an example of a configuration diagram for a wireless power supply unit, transmitter, and position recognition device. [Figure 4] This is an example of a diagram showing the configuration of the transmitter in Modification Example 1. [Figure 5] This is an example of an external view of the transmitter in Modification Example 1. [Figure 6] This is an example of an external view of a pet food bowl in modified example 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The following describes exemplary embodiments in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows the configuration of the pet location recognition system. Figure 2 shows the state in which the pet is approaching the food container of the pet bowl. Figure 3 shows the configuration of the wireless power supply unit, transmitter, and location recognition device.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the pet location recognition system 1 comprises a transmitter 20 attached to the pet 2, a location recognition device 40 that recognizes the location of the pet 2 based on the signal transmitted by the transmitter 20, and a pet food bowl 3 having a wireless power supply unit 30 that wirelessly supplies power to the transmitter 20.

[0013] As shown in Figure 2, the pet food bowl 3 has a food storage section 31 that can hold pet food, and the wireless power supply unit 30 can wirelessly supply power to the transmitter 20 attached to the pet 2 when the pet brings its mouth close to the food storage section 31.

[0014] Specifically, when pet 2 approaches the food container 31 to eat, the physical distance between the transmitter 20, which is suspended from pet 2's collar, and the wireless power supply unit 30 decreases, enabling wireless power supply from the wireless power supply unit 30 to the transmitter 20.

[0015] The main body of the pet dish 3 includes a food storage part 31 and a base part 32 that supports the food storage part. The wireless power supply part 30 is arranged on the outer side surface of the base part 32. Since the wireless power supply part 30 is arranged on the outer side surface of the base part 32, if the food storage part 31 and the base part 32 are configured to be separable, it becomes possible to wash only the food storage part 31. In this case, it is possible to avoid water or the like from splashing on the wireless power supply part 30 of the base part 32 and causing a failure during washing.

[0016] The opening edge part 31a of the food storage part 31 is configured to be horizontal with respect to the ground plane. As the bottom shape of the inner surface of the food storage part 31, it is desirable to adopt a bottom shape in which the food gathers near the center (for example, a mortar shape). In this case, since the pet 2 will stretch its neck to eat the food, the transmitter 20 will be more likely to approach the wireless power supply part 30.

[0017] Also, the height of the bottom of the inner surface of the food storage part 31 may be configured to be changeable. In this case, the height of the bottom can be adjusted so that the transmitter 20 is more likely to approach the wireless power supply part 30. For example, a food dish whose height and position can be adjusted may be provided inside the food storage part 31, and the food may be placed on the food dish.

[0018] Also, the wireless power supply part 30 and the transmitter 20 may each have a magnetic material body. For example, the wireless power supply part 30 has a magnet or an electromagnet, and the transmitter 20 has a member containing iron that is attracted by magnetic force. Therefore, the transmitter 20 will be magnetically attracted when it approaches the wireless power supply part 30.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the transmitter 20 has a power receiving part 201, a power supply part 202, a transmitting part 203, and a magnetic body part 204. The wireless power supply part 30 has a power supply part 301, a power supply part 302, a state detection part 303, and a magnetic force control part 304. The position recognition device 40 has a receiving part 401, a position recognition part 402, and an output part 402.

[0020] (Transmitter 20) As the hardware of the transmitter 20, a dedicated device having at least a charging function and a transmitting function is used, and it is desirable that the size be such that it can be suspended from a pet's collar or the like.

[0021] The power receiving unit 201 of the transmitter 20 can receive power supply from the power supply unit 301 of the wireless power supply unit 30. For example, the power receiving unit 201 is a power receiving coil, a power receiving circuit, etc. that can receive power by an electromagnetic induction method (high-frequency electromagnetic coupling method, magnetic field resonance method). Note that the power receiving unit 201 may be configured to receive power by an electric field coupling method or a microwave method (radio wave power receiving method).

[0022] The power supply unit 202 of the transmitter 20 can supply power to the power receiving unit 201, the transmitting unit 203, etc. For example, the power supply unit 202 is a rechargeable DC power supply, and a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery corresponds to this.

[0023] The transmitting unit 203 of the transmitter 20 can transmit a signal for recognizing information regarding the presence position of the pet. For example, the transmitting unit 203 corresponds to a beacon that transmits unique identification information of the transmitter 20 at regular time intervals. Specifically, for example, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon such as iBeacon (registered trademark) corresponds to this beacon.

[0024] The magnetic body unit 204 of the transmitter 20 is a member including a magnetic material that can be attracted by magnetic force. For example, the magnetic body unit 204 is a member including iron, permalloy, etc. that are soft magnetic materials.

[0025] (Wireless power supply unit 30) As the hardware of the wireless power supply unit 30, a dedicated device having a wireless power supply function or the like can be used. Note that as the pet dish 3, a general-purpose one may be used and the wireless power supply unit 30 may be attached, or the wireless power supply unit 30 may be incorporated.

[0026] The power supply unit 301 of the wireless power supply unit 30 can supply power to the transmitter 20. For example, the power supply unit 301 is a power transmission coil or power transmission circuit capable of supplying power using an electromagnetic induction method (high-frequency electromagnetic coupling method, magnetic field resonance method). The power supply unit 301 may also be configured to supply power using an electric field coupling method or a microwave method (radio wave receiving method).

[0027] The power supply unit 302 of the wireless power supply unit 30 can supply power to the power supply unit 301, the state detection unit 303, the magnetic force control unit 304, etc. For example, the power supply unit 302 is either an AC power supply or a DC power supply.

[0028] The state detection unit 303 of the wireless power supply unit 30 can detect whether or not the pet 2 is bringing its mouth close to the pet food bowl 3. For example, the state detection unit 303 is an infrared sensor or the like that can detect the presence of the pet 2.

[0029] Furthermore, the state detection unit 303 of the wireless power supply unit 30 may be capable of detecting whether or not there is food in the pet food bowl 3. For example, the state detection unit 303 may be a weight sensor or the like that can detect the weight of the food stored in the food storage unit 31.

[0030] The magnetic force control unit 304 of the wireless power supply unit 30 can control the on / off state of the magnetic force. For example, the magnetic force control unit 304 is an electromagnet that can control the on / off state of the magnetic force with an electric current and switch between attracting and releasing the magnetic force that attracts the magnetic body part 204 of the transmitter 20. In addition, the magnetic force control unit 304 may also control the strength of the magnetic force when controlling the magnetic force to be turned on with an electric current.

[0031] When the state detection unit 303 detects that pet 2 is bringing its mouth close to pet bowl 3, or that there is food in pet bowl 3, the magnetic force control unit 304 controls the electromagnet to turn on, causing the magnetic body 204 of transmitter 20 to be magnetically attracted to the magnetic force control unit 304 of wireless power supply unit 30. At this time, since transmitter 20 is attracted to wireless power supply unit 30, power can be reliably supplied wirelessly from power supply unit 301 to power receiving unit 201.

[0032] On the other hand, if the state detection unit 303 detects that pet 2 is not bringing its mouth close to the pet bowl, or that there is no food in pet bowl 3, the magnetic force control unit 304 controls the electromagnet to turn off, thereby releasing the magnetic attraction between the magnetic force control unit 304 of the wireless power supply unit 30 and the magnetic body part 204 of the transmitter 20. At this time, since the transmitter 20 is released from the wireless power supply unit 30, the power supply from the power supply unit 301 to the power receiving unit 201 is released, and pet 2 can move freely.

[0033] The magnetic force control unit 304 may also control the magnetic force strength of the electromagnet in steps. For example, the magnetic force strength may be increased or decreased depending on the distance between the pet 2 and the pet bowl 3, or changes in distance. For example, if the distance is gradually decreasing, the unit may determine that the pet 2 is approaching the pet bowl 3 and increase the magnetic force strength, making it easier for the transmitter 20 to be magnetically attracted to the wireless power supply unit 30.

[0034] Furthermore, for example, the magnetic force strength may be increased or decreased depending on the weight of the food in the pet bowl 3 or changes in its weight. For example, if the weight is gradually decreasing, it can be determined that the time for pet 2 to finish eating is approaching, and the magnetic force strength can be reduced to weaken the magnetic attraction between the transmitter 20 and the wireless power supply unit 30.

[0035] Furthermore, the magnetic force strength may be increased or decreased depending on the charge status (battery level) of the transmitter 20. For example, if the remaining power capacity (battery level) of the power supply unit 202 of the transmitter 20 is below a predetermined threshold, the magnetic force strength can be increased to strengthen the magnetic attraction between the transmitter 20 and the wireless power supply unit 30, thereby ensuring reliable charging. On the other hand, if the remaining power capacity (battery level) of the power supply unit 202 of the transmitter 20 is above a predetermined threshold, the magnetic force strength may be decreased to weaken the magnetic attraction between the transmitter 20 and the wireless power supply unit 30.

[0036] (location recognition device 40) The hardware of the position recognition device 40 can include a dedicated terminal with communication capabilities, as well as a smartphone or personal computer.

[0037] The receiving unit 401 of the location recognition device 40 can receive signals for recognizing information about the pet's location transmitted by the transmitting unit 203 of the transmitter 20. For example, the receiving unit 401 receives a beacon that transmits unique identification information from the transmitter 20 at regular time intervals as a signal for recognizing information about the pet's location. As mentioned above, a specific example of this beacon is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon such as iBeacon®.

[0038] The location recognition unit 402 of the location recognition device 40 can recognize information about the pet's location based on signals transmitted by the transmitter unit 203 of the transmitter 20 and received by the receiver unit 401. For example, the location recognition unit 402 recognizes information about the pet's location based on beacons that transmit unique identification information of the transmitter 20 at regular time intervals.

[0039] Specifically, the position of the transmitter 20 can be recognized using the direction of transmission, signal strength, or signal quality of the signal (beacon) transmitted from the transmitter 20 using the direction detection function of Bluetooth®. This makes it possible to recognize information about the pet's location based on information indicating the position of the transmitter 20 (e.g., direction and distance).

[0040] The output unit 402 of the position recognition device 40 outputs information regarding the location of the pet recognized by the position recognition unit 402. For example, the direction of the pet's location and the distance to it are displayed on the display (not shown) of the position recognition device 40. The display method may be an arrow indicating the direction and a numerical value indicating the distance, or an icon indicating the pet's location may be superimposed on a map including the current location.

[0041] With this configuration, the transmitter 20 can be powered each time the pet 2 brings its mouth close to the food container 31. Therefore, when the location recognition device 40, which recognizes information about the pet 2's location, receives the signal transmitted by the transmitter 20, the possibility of the transmitter 20 being unable to recognize the pet 2's location due to insufficient power can be reduced.

[0042] In other words, every time pet 2 eats from pet bowl 3, the battery of the transmitter 20 attached to pet 2 can be charged, making it possible to always maintain power in the transmitter 20. This ensures that even if pet 2 goes missing, sufficient battery power can be maintained in the transmitter 20 for the time being, allowing for an effective search using the pet location recognition system 1.

[0043] (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the transmitter 20 is configured in a single housing, but it may also be configured in multiple housings, as shown in the transmitter 21 in Figures 4 and 5.

[0044] As shown in Figure 4, the transmitter 21 is configured such that a housing 21a including at least a power receiving unit 211 and a magnetic body unit 212, a housing 21b including at least a power supply unit 213, and a housing 21c including at least a transmitting unit 214 are connected by a cable 21w.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5, the transmitter 21 can be configured as a collar for pets. For example, in the transmitter 21, a housing 21a containing at least a power receiving unit 211 and a magnetic body unit 212 can be placed at the bottom of the collar, a housing 21b containing at least a power supply unit 213 can be placed on the side of the collar, and a housing 21c containing at least a transmitting unit 214 can be placed at the top of the collar.

[0046] (Modification 2) In the above embodiment, the opening edge 31a of the food storage section 31 is configured to be horizontal with respect to the ground surface, but as shown in Figure 6, the opening edge 31b of the food storage section 31 may be inclined.

[0047] In this case, the wireless power supply unit 30 is positioned below the opening end 31b, which is at a lower height from the ground than the other opening edges 31b. In other words, the plane passing through the opening edge 31b is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and the wireless power supply unit 30 is positioned on the lower side in the direction of this inclination. This allows the wireless power supply unit 30 to be positioned in the direction that makes it easiest for the pet 2 to approach. Therefore, the pet 2 can be guided to approach the pet food bowl 3 from the direction in which the wireless power supply unit 30 is positioned.

[0048] For example, even if the opening edge 31a of the food storage section 31 is configured to be horizontal to the ground surface, the height of a part of the opening edge 31b of the food storage section 31 from the ground surface may be made smaller than the height of other opening edges 31b from the ground surface by creating a step, and the wireless power supply section 30 may be placed below this part of the opening edge 31b (not shown).

[0049] (Modification 2) In the above embodiment, the magnetic force control unit 304 of the wireless power supply unit 30 is configured to control the on / off state of the magnetic force. However, instead of the magnetic force control unit 304, a member containing a magnetic material that can be attracted by magnetic force may be provided as the magnetic body. For example, the magnetic body may be a member containing a soft magnetic material such as iron or permalloy.

[0050] (Variation 3) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the transmitting unit 203 of the transmitter 20 transmits a beacon, but instead of a beacon, a GPS signal may be transmitted. In this case, the receiving unit 401 of the position recognition device 40 can receive the GPS signal, so the position recognition unit 402 will be able to recognize the location of the pet 2 more accurately.

[0051] (Modification 4) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the receiving unit 401 of the location recognition device 40 directly receives the signal from the transmitting unit 203 of the transmitter 20. However, the signal from the transmitting unit 203 may be recorded on a cloud server, and the location recognition device 40 may access the cloud server to receive a signal for recognizing information about the location of the pet 2. This eliminates the need for direct communication between the transmitting unit 203 of the transmitter 20 and the receiving unit 401 of the location recognition device 40, making it possible to recognize information about the location of the pet 2 even if the distance between the pet 2 and the location recognition device 40 is large.

[0052] (Variation 5) In the above embodiment, the wireless power supply unit 30 is placed in only one location on the outer side surface of the base portion 32 of the pet food bowl 3, but multiple wireless power supply units 30 may be placed. For example, multiple wireless power supply units 30 may be placed side by side to facilitate power supply to the transmitter 20, or multiple units may be placed at equal intervals on the outer side surface of the base portion 32.

[0053] (Experimental variation 6) In the above embodiment, the main body of the pet food bowl 3 includes a food storage section 31 and a base section 32 that supports the food storage section. However, the food storage section 31 and the base section 32 may be integrated into a single unit. The wireless power supply section 30 can also be positioned inside or outside the portion corresponding to the food storage section 31 (not shown).

[0054] In the embodiments described above, the elements constituting the embodiments are not necessarily essential unless explicitly stated to be particularly essential or considered to be fundamentally essential. Furthermore, when numerical values ​​such as the number, numerical values, quantities, or ranges of the components of the embodiments are mentioned in the embodiments described above, the embodiments are not limited to those specific numbers unless explicitly stated to be particularly essential or considered to be fundamentally limited to a specific number. Moreover, when the shapes, positional relationships, etc., of the components are mentioned in the embodiments described above, the embodiments are not limited to those shapes, positional relationships, etc., unless explicitly stated or considered to be fundamentally limited to specific shapes, positional relationships, etc. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0055] 1. Pet Location Recognition System 2 Pets 3 Pet food bowls 20 Transmitters 30 Wireless power supply unit 40 Location recognition device

Claims

1. A transmitter attached to the pet, A location recognition device that recognizes information regarding the location of the pet based on the signal transmitted by the transmitter, A pet food bowl having a wireless power supply unit that wirelessly supplies power to the transmitter, A pet location recognition system equipped with, The wireless power supply unit is configured to wirelessly supply power to a transmitter attached to the pet when the pet brings its mouth close to the pet bowl. Pet location recognition system.

2. The wireless power supply unit and the transmitter each have a magnetic material body. The transmitter is magnetically attracted to the wireless power supply unit. The pet location recognition system according to claim 1.

3. A pet food bowl having a wireless power supply unit that wirelessly supplies power to a transmitter attached to the pet, The wireless power supply unit is configured to wirelessly supply power to the transmitter when the pet brings its mouth close to the pet bowl.

4. A food storage compartment that can hold pet food, It comprises a base portion that supports the aforementioned food storage portion, The wireless power supply unit is located on the outer side surface of the base portion, as described in claim 3.

5. It is a transmitter that is attached to a pet. A transmitting unit that emits a signal to recognize information about the location of the pet, A receiving unit that receives wireless power from a pet food bowl having a wireless power supply unit that wirelessly supplies power to the transmitter, A power supply unit that supplies power to the transmitting unit and the receiving unit, It comprises a magnetic body part including a magnetic material, A transmitter that receives wireless power from a wireless power supply unit when the pet brings its mouth close to the pet bowl, by magnetic attraction of the magnetic material to the magnetic material of the wireless power supply unit.

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