Flexible Animal Collar Electronics with Adjustable Contact Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronic collar-mounted receivers are bulky, causing discomfort and skin issues due to gravity-induced positioning, difficulty in use on small animals, and lack of customization options for stimulus levels, leading to ineffective and aesthetically compromising designs.
Innovation Solution
A redesigned electronic collar with flexible, lightweight structure and adjustable contact points, incorporating transformers for customizable output levels and reliable wireless transmission, using materials like flexible polymers and extendors to conform to the animal's body and reduce bulk, allowing for customizable and aesthetically pleasing operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a hard plastic box-shaped housing is used for the receiver, then the device structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the device becomes bulky causing discomfort and skin necrosis due to gravity-induced positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the rigid hard plastic box-shaped housing with a flexible polymer housing that can conform to the animal's neck contours. This flexible housing eliminates the gravity-induced positioning problem that caused the box to constantly fall to the lowest position, thereby preventing rubbing and skin necrosis while maintaining ease of manufacture through molding processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a movable contact point that can be adjusted along the housing to change its position relative to the animal's larynx. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the contact point to be positioned optimally for each animal, preventing the harmful effect of the fixed contact point pushing on the larynx while maintaining a simple manufactured structure.
2Device complexity
If a large bulky housing with fixed contact points is used, then the device structure is simple, but the device is difficult to use on small dogs due to poor wrapping around small necks
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible polymer housing can be compressed and shaped to wrap around small dog necks effectively, unlike the rigid box-shaped housing. This flexibility allows the device to adapt to various neck sizes while maintaining a simple internal structure with minimal components, thus achieving ease of operation on small animals without increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable contact point can be repositioned along the housing to accommodate different neck sizes and shapes. This dynamic adjustment feature enables proper contact on both large and small dogs without requiring multiple fixed contact points, maintaining simple device construction while improving ease of operation across different animal sizes.
3Device complexity
If factory-set stimulus levels are used, then the device structure is simple with fixed output levels, but there is minimal ability to customize output for particular animals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a variable output circuit that allows the stimulus level to be dynamically adjusted beyond factory settings. This enables customization of output levels for particular animals while maintaining relatively simple device structure through the use of potentiometers or digital controls integrated into the existing circuit board, rather than requiring multiple fixed-output circuits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent allows modification of electrical parameters (stimulus level, pulse duration, frequency) to customize the output for individual animals. This parameter adjustment capability is achieved through simple control circuits and programmable microcontrollers that can vary the output characteristics without fundamentally changing the device structure, thus maintaining low complexity while high adaptability.
4Shape
If a sleek integrated design is used, then the aesthetic appearance is improved and psychological issues are addressed, but reliable wireless transmission and customizable output require additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the wireless transmission antenna, control circuitry, and stimulus output components into a single molded flexible housing rather than using separate external components. This merging of functions into one integrated unit achieves a sleek aesthetic appearance while managing device complexity through modular circuit board design and efficient space utilization within the flexible housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible polymer housing serves multiple functions: it provides the sleek aesthetic appearance, protects the internal electronics, and allows for compact integration of all necessary components (antenna, circuit board, battery, contacts) in a thin profile. This multi-functional flexible housing reduces overall device complexity by eliminating the need for separate protective casings and mounting structures.
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 solution provides improved comfort and effectiveness by customizing stimulus levels, reducing skin irritation, and enhancing aesthetic and psychological aspects of animal handling, while enabling reliable wireless communication and tracking.
Implementation Method 1
incorporating transformers for customizable output levels
Implementation Method 2
enabling reliable wireless transmission between a transmitter and a receiver
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an improved design for an animal collar with an integrated electronic device where the contact surface/points of the electronic device can be positioned in a way that is physically comfortable for the animal that wears the collar. The design of the electronic device as a whole does not compromise aesthetics while being unobtrusive and effective to receive control signals.