Bark Control Device Using Piezoelectric and Motion Sensor Correlation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing animal bark control devices face challenges in accurately sensing barks due to the limitations of piezoelectric and microphone sensors, including incorrect sensing of non-bark vibrations and ambient noise, and high power consumption.
Innovation Solution
The device combines a conventional sensor (piezoelectric or microphone) with a motion sensor, such as an acceleration or gyro sensor, to determine barking by correlating sound signals with head-raising motions, using predetermined reference values to improve accuracy and reduce false positives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a piezoelectric device is used to sense animal bark, then cost and power consumption are reduced, but the device fails to sense bark when collar is worn away from vocal cords or incorrectly senses vibration from eating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a piezoelectric device (first sensor) with a motion sensor (second sensor) to detect barking. The control unit correlates outputs from both sensors, requiring both vibration signal and specific motion pattern to confirm barking, thereby reducing false positives while maintaining low cost and power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The motion sensor acts as an intermediary that provides additional context about the animal's physical state. By analyzing motion patterns alongside piezoelectric signals, the system can distinguish between actual barking and spurious vibrations from eating or collar movement, improving measurement precision without significantly increasing power consumption.
2Measurement precision
If a microphone device is used to sense animal bark, then bark detection accuracy is improved, but cost and power consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the expensive microphone device with a low-cost piezoelectric device that is sufficient when used in conjunction with a motion sensor. This substitution maintains adequate bark detection accuracy while dramatically reducing cost and power consumption requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
By merging the piezoelectric device with a motion sensor, the system achieves bark detection accuracy comparable to microphone-based systems without the high power consumption and cost associated with microphones. The combined approach uses simple vibration sensing and motion pattern recognition to identify barking.
3Measurement precision
If a microphone device is used to sense animal bark, then sensing capability is improved, but the device incorrectly senses ambient noise and barking sounds of other animals
Solution Approach 1:
The motion sensor serves as an intermediary that provides contextual information about the animal's physical state and position. By analyzing whether the animal is actually performing the motion associated with barking, the system can filter out false positives from ambient noise or other animals' barks, significantly improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously correlates the output signals from both the piezoelectric device and motion sensor, using feedback from the motion detection to validate or reject barking detections. This feedback mechanism ensures that only coordinated vibration and motion signals are interpreted as barking, reducing false sensing.
4Reliability
If piezoelectric device and microphone device are used together to reduce faulty sensing, then sensing reliability is improved, but the complexity and cost of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the microphone device from the sensor system, retaining only the piezoelectric device and motion sensor. This simplification maintains sensing reliability by using the complementary strengths of the remaining sensors while eliminating the complexity and cost associated with microphone-based systems.
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
This approach enhances the accuracy of bark detection, reducing false alarms from eating motions or nearby animal barks, while maintaining low cost and power efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a piezoelectric device which senses vibration of the animal's vocal cords and outputs electrical signals
Implementation Method 2
a second sensor configured to sense a motion of the animal and output a second sensing signal
Implementation Method 3
the second sensor is an acceleration sensor, or a gyro sensor
Data Source
AI summary
A dog bark control device which includes a first sensor, a second sensor, a stimulation applying means, and a control unit. The control unit determines whether the animal barks, and when the animal is determined to bark, operates the stimulation applying means to apply stimulation to the animal. The control unit determines that the animal barks when the first sensing signal of the first sensor is a signal indicating that the animal barks, and at the same time, the animal is determined to make a particular motion accompanied by barking from the second sensing signal of the second sensor.