Animal Location Control via GPS and Stimulus Feedback
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fencing methods for livestock are costly and inflexible, and existing virtual fencing technologies often neglect animal behavior and welfare, leading to unintended consequences.
Innovation Solution
A control device that uses a non-aversive stimulus, such as an audible tone, in conjunction with GPS and directional sensors to guide animals within virtual fences, with adjustable parameters for velocity and orientation, and the option for dynamic fence boundaries, to promote animal welfare and efficient herd management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fencing is used to control livestock location, then physical boundary control is achieved, but installation cost and maintenance cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical fencing system (posts, wires, strainers) with an electronic control system consisting of GPS receivers, processors, and stimulus emitters attached to animals. This substitution eliminates the need for physical fence infrastructure while maintaining location control functionality through virtual boundaries defined by geographic coordinates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the physical fence boundary by defining electronic geographic coordinates that replicate the fence line's location and orientation. This digital representation allows the system to enforce boundary control without requiring the actual physical structure, reducing material costs while maintaining control reliability.
2Reliability
If conventional fencing is installed to define animal boundaries, then location control is achieved, but flexibility in dynamic herd management is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic virtual fences where boundary coordinates, velocity thresholds, and stimulus parameters can be adjusted in real-time based on animal behavior, environmental conditions, and management requirements. This allows the system to adapt to changing herd dynamics, weather conditions, and grazing patterns without physical reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows modification of key parameters including geographic boundary coordinates, approach velocity thresholds, stimulus intensity levels, and stimulus duration. These parameter changes enable flexible management of different herd sizes, species, and behavioral patterns while maintaining effective location control through the same electronic platform.
3Reliability
If virtual fencing with stimulus emission is used to control animals, then location control is achieved, but animal welfare is compromised due to aversive stimuli
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a two-stage stimulus delivery system where a non-aversive auditory warning signal is emitted first to alert the animal of approaching the boundary. Only if the animal continues toward the boundary after receiving the warning does the system escalate to the aversive electrical stimulus. This preliminary action gives animals a chance to self-correct their behavior without experiencing stress.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic warning signals emitted at regular intervals as an animal approaches the virtual boundary. These repeated non-aversive alerts provide consistent feedback to animals, allowing them to learn and adapt to the boundary constraints through repetition rather than through painful stimulation, thereby reducing overall animal stress while maintaining control effectiveness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device effectively controls animal location by associating a non-aversive cue with an aversive stimulus, allowing animals to learn and maintain a virtual boundary without stress, improving both animal behavior and fencing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a GPS receiver to continuously determine position information representative of a position of the animal
Implementation Method 2
an accelerometer, and/or a gyroscope, communicatively coupled to the processor to detect small changes in the velocity of the animal
Implementation Method 3
an accelerometer, and/or a gyroscope, communicatively coupled to the processor to detect small changes in the velocity of the animal
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
A control device and method is taught for controlling an animal's location. A GPS receiver receives GPS signals and a processor determines the position, velocity and heading direction of the animal relative to a target. A stimulus unit selectively applies a stimulus to the animal in response to received signals. A processor is programmed such that if the position of the animal relative to the target is less than a predetermined distance and the animal's velocity relative to the target is within a predetermined range and the heading direction of the animal is within a predetermined orientation relative to the target, then a signal indicative of applying a non-aversive stimulus to the animal is generated, and a signal indicative of removal of a non-aversive stimulus is selectively generated when the animal's velocity relative to the target is outside of the predetermined range, or the heading direction of the animal changes by more than a predetermined amount, otherwise a signal is generated indicative of first removing the non-aversive stimulus followed by application of an aversive stimulus to the animal.