Threshold barrier system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9516863-B2
Application number	US-201414549023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2014
Priority date	Dec 3, 2013
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

An animal containment system is described that comprises a transmitter unit and a receiver, the transmitter unit comprising a transmitter coil and signal generator. The signal generator transmits a modulated activation signal through the coil and generates a uniform magnetic field within a region around the coil. A receiver travels through a portion of the uniform magnetic field and uses information of periodically emphasized positively directed portions of the signal to detect a first polarity of the magnetic field in a first detection area and a second reversed polarity of the magnetic field in the second detection area. A detected reversal of polarity indicates a boundary crossing event including the receiver transitioning across the boundary.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a transmitter unit and a receiver, the transmitter unit comprising a transmitter coil, a signal generator, and a modulator;
the transmitter coil comprising a wire uniformly wound flat side by side around a length of a thin strip of material, wherein a flat surface of the transmitter coil lies along a boundary, wherein each winding of the uniformly wound wire is aligned with the boundary;
the signal generator generating an activation signal comprising digital data and the modulator modulating the activation signal onto carrier waves;
the signal generator transmitting the modulated activation signal through the transmitter coil, the transmitting the modulated activation signal generating a uniform magnetic field within a region around the transmitter coil and defining a first detection area of the region and a second detection area of the region, the transmitting and the generating including emphasizing a first portion of the carrier waves;
the receiver travelling through the region, the receiver using information of the emphasized first portion to detect a first polarity of the uniform magnetic field in the first detection area and a second polarity of the uniform magnetic field in the second detection area, the second polarity comprising a reversal of the first polarity.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thin strip of material comprises non-magnetic material.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thin strip of material comprises magnetic material.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thin strip of material comprises a rectangular strip of material.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the length of the thin rectangular strip of material is approximately 16.7 inches.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein a width of the thin rectangular strip of material is approximately 2.4 inches.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein a height of the thin rectangular strip of material is approximately 0.25 inches, wherein the height corresponds to an aperture of the transmitter coil.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the uniformly wound wire comprises 18 gauge wire.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the uniformly wound wire comprises 20 gauge wire.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the uniformly wound wire is uniformly wound flat side by side around the length of the thin strip of material in a configuration of seventy five turns.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the uniformly wound wire is uniformly wound side around the length of the thin strip of material in a configuration of sixty turns.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the centerline of the transmitter coil is approximately orthogonal to a plane, wherein the first detection area occupies an area on a first side of the plane, wherein the second detection area occupies an area on a second side of the plane.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the boundary comprises a threshold.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the boundary comprises a straight line.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thin strip of the material comprises a plurality of thin strips.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein each strip of the plurality of thin strips is rectangular.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein a length of each strip of the plurality of thin strips is approximately 3.9 inches, a width of each strip of the plurality of thin strips is approximately 2.4 inches, and a height of each strip of the plurality of thin strips is approximately 0.25 inches.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of thin strips are aligned along their lengths and are spaced approximately 0.5 inches apart.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the transmitter coil comprises a plurality of coils, wherein each coil of the plurality of coils comprises a wire uniformly wound flat side by side around a corresponding length of the plurality of thin strips of material, wherein a corresponding flat surface of each coil lies along the boundary, wherein each winding of the uniformly wound wire of each coil is aligned with the boundary.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the plurality of coils are wired in series.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein centerlines of the plurality of coils are approximately parallel with each other, wherein the centerlines of the plurality of coils are approximately orthogonal to a plane, wherein the first detection area occupies an area on a first side of the plane, wherein the second detection area occupies an area on a second side of the plane.

22. The system of claim 1 , the travelling through the region comprising passing over the transmitter coil.

23. The system of claim 1 , wherein the boundary defines the first detection area and the second detection area.

24. The system of claim 23 , wherein flux lines of the uniform magnetic field travel along pathways in the first detection area corresponding to the first polarity.

25. The system of claim 24 , wherein flux lines of the uniform magnetic field travel along pathways in the second detection area corresponding to the second polarity.

26. The system of claim 25 , the receiver detecting the first polarity comprising indicating a position of the receiver in the first detection area.

27. The system of claim 26 , the receiver detecting the second polarity comprising indicating a position of the receiver in the second detection area.

28. The system of claim 27 , the receiver detecting the second polarity indicating a first boundary crossing event.

29. The system of claim 28 , the first boundary crossing event including the receiver transitioning through the boundary from the first detection area to the second detection area.

30. The system of claim 29 , the receiver including a stimulus generator, the stimulus generator applying a stimulus upon the receiver detecting the second polarity, the stimulus generator applying the stimulus until the receiver again detects the first polarity.

31. The system of claim 30 , the applying the stimulus including applying the stimulus to an animal wearing the receiver.

32. The system of claim 30 , the receiver again detecting the first polarity comprising indicating a second boundary crossing event.

33. The system of claim 32 , the second boundary crossing event including the receiver transitioning through the boundary back from the second detection area to the first detection area.

34. The system of claim 1 , wherein the uniform magnetic field comprises a north pole and a south pole, wherein magnetic flux lines exit the transmitter coil proximate the north pole and enter the transmitter coil proximate the south pole.

35. The system of claim 1 , the activation signal comprising operating instructions for the receiver, the operating instructions including one or more of identifying information of the transmitter coil and operational parameters of the receiver.

36. The system of claim 1 , the digital data comprising a plurality of data packets.

37. The system of claim 36 , the modulating the activation signal onto the carrier waves including modulating each data packet of the plurality of data packets onto a corresponding plurality of carrier waves, the carrier waves including the corresponding plurality of ca

Assignees

• Radio Systems Corp

Inventors

• Gerig Duane A
• Moore William P

Classifications

• A01K15/023 Primary

  Anti-evasion devices · CPC title