Low-Profile Electronic Pet Gate with Shaped Barrier Field
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pet containment systems, such as baby gates and electronic animal exclusion systems, are either unsightly, impractical, or ineffective in controlling pet access to specific areas due to their design and coverage limitations, often causing unnecessary barriers and inaccuracies in pet exclusion.
Innovation Solution
An electronic pet gate system featuring a low-profile sill with a loop antenna and barrier signal generator that generates a radio frequency electromagnetic field shaped to mimic the elongated perimeter of the sill, providing a controlled barrier field to restrict pet access while minimizing obstruction to humans and unrestricted animals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a conventional electronic animal exclusion system transmitter is placed to the side of the door to be blocked, then the electromagnetic field can be generated, but the field coverage becomes wider than desired making it difficult to cover the restricted area without inadvertently covering areas where the pet is allowed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by shaping the electromagnetic field to have non-uniform distribution - stronger field intensity directly across the doorway and weaker intensity in lateral areas. This is achieved through the loop antenna configuration that concentrates the field where needed (across the door) while minimizing it where pets should have access, resolving the contradiction between adequate coverage and avoiding unwanted areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses asymmetry by positioning the transmitter centered in the door jamb rather than to the side, and using a loop antenna that creates an asymmetric field pattern relative to the doorway geometry. This asymmetric placement and field distribution allows the field to extend precisely across the door opening without the excessive lateral coverage that would occur with conventional side placement.
2Area of stationary object
If the electromagnetic field is increased to cover the entire width of the door when the transmitter is placed to the side, then the door coverage is improved, but the chance that access to a permitted area will also be blocked increases
Solution Approach 1:
The loop antenna configuration creates localized high field intensity directly across the doorway while maintaining lower intensity in surrounding areas. This local quality approach ensures that the electromagnetic field effectively blocks the door area without excessively blocking permitted areas, resolving the contradiction between adequate door coverage and avoiding unwanted area blocking.
3Reliability
If a baby gate is used to block pet access, then the pet containment is achieved, but the gate is unsightly, awkward to use, and unnecessarily impedes passage for everyone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical baby gate system with an electronic electromagnetic field-based containment system. Instead of using a physical barrier that impedes human passage, the system uses an invisible electromagnetic field detected by a receiver on the pet, allowing humans to pass freely while maintaining reliable pet containment through the electronic deterrent.
4Extent of automation
If a proximity triggered system is used to detect when an animal approaches, then the deterrent can be activated, but the system is generally inaccurate, prone to false activation, and indiscriminate in its application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a receiver unit that is placed on or near the pet (a copy or representation of the target) to detect the electromagnetic field. This direct field-to-receiver detection method is more accurate than proximity triggering because it measures the actual field presence at the pet's location rather than inferring proximity, eliminating false activations and improving detection precision.
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 electronic pet gate effectively blocks pets from restricted areas without hindering human passage, offering a precise and aesthetically pleasing solution for pet containment by shaping the electromagnetic field to match the sill's geometry, thus reducing field strength in unnecessary areas.
Implementation Method 1
The loop antenna broadcasts the barrier signal to produce the barrier field. The barrier field is a radio frequency electromagnetic field.
Implementation Method 2
The shape of the barrier field is controlled by the shape of the loop antenna. A frame imposes a polygonal shape on the loop antenna. The coil layouts are generally defined by a pair of longitudinal segments connected at each end by a lateral transition.
Implementation Method 3
The barrier signal generator generates a barrier signal that is output to the loop antenna.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic pet gate. The electronic pet gate includes a gate transmitter generating a barrier field and a gate receiver generating a deterrent stimulus in the presence of the barrier field. The gate transmitter includes a loop antenna in a low profile elongated sill and a barrier signal generator. The loop antenna transmits the barrier signal and has an elongated geometric shape configured to shape the radiated electromagnetic field into a truncated ellipsoid. The truncated ellipsoidal barrier field has significant field strength along the length of the low profile sill and minimal field strength along the sides of the low profile sill. The low profile sill is designed to securely rest on the floor to block access to an area restricted to a pet without being a substantial physical impediment or hazard to people passing over low profile sill.