Wireless communication energizer and monitoring unit for electric fencing and method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9978253-B2
Application number	US-201715583505-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2017
Priority date	Aug 11, 2016
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

An electric fence monitoring unit and an integrated energizer/monitoring unit with remote control and communication capability using GSM based cellular technology, and a method for the use thereof, is provided. A simple set of commands can be used and sent, such as through text messaging (SMS) or a smartphone application, to control and/or receive information from the monitoring unit including alerts sent to the user in the case of faults or changes in fence loading. The monitoring unit includes a safety mode that uses time dependent voltage detection to detect when a sudden and significant drop in fence voltage has occurred, as may result when an animal becomes trapped or entangled in the fence. When such a large and rapid voltage drop is detected and the safety mode is enabled, the unit automatically de-energizes the electric fence and an alert is sent to the user advising that the fence should be looked at without delay.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A remote monitoring unit with a rapid voltage drop detection system for use with an electric fence comprising:
a controller having a safety mode;
a rapid drop timer and a data memory in communication with said controller;
a fence pulse detector for detecting voltage pulses on the electric fence as a plurality of data samples;
said controller receiving said plurality of data samples and storing a voltage value in said data memory, said controller being configured to compare a current incoming data sample with said stored voltage value and, if said current incoming data sample shows that voltage on the electric fence has dropped by more than a threshold percentage of said stored voltage value, said controller monitoring a plurality of subsequently received data samples over a time period to confirm whether the voltage drop is a rapid voltage drop; and
a transmitter/receiver component configured to send an alert message to a mobile device in response to said controller confirming that a rapid voltage drop has occurred.

2. The remote monitoring unit as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to start said rapid drop timer in response to said current incoming data sample showing that voltage on the electric fence has dropped by more than the threshold percentage of said stored voltage value, said rapid drop timer defining the time period, said controller monitoring the plurality of subsequently received data samples until the time period of said rapid drop timer has expired.

3. The remote monitoring unit as set forth in claim 2 , wherein said controller is configured, upon determining that a rapid voltage drop has occurred, to check to see if the safety mode is enabled and if the safety mode is enabled, to automatically de-energize the electric fence.

4. The remote monitoring unit as set forth in claim 3 , wherein said alert message in said safety mode includes notification that the fence has been de-energized.

5. The remote monitoring unit as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising a voltage pulse generator integrated with said remote monitoring unit as an energizer/monitoring unit.

6. The remote monitoring unit as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said threshold percentage is greater than about 10% and said time period is between about 1 second and about 30 seconds to define the rapid voltage drop.

7. The remote monitoring unit as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said data samples are passed through a low pass filter before reaching said controller.

8. The remote monitoring unit as set forth in claim 7 , wherein said voltage value stored by said controller in said data memory is an averaged low pass filter voltage value.

9. A method of monitoring voltage on an electric fence to detect a rapid voltage drop, the method comprising the steps of:
detecting a plurality of fence pulses or an absence of fence pulses over a timed-out interval;
measuring a voltage value for each of said fence pulses;
storing a fence voltage value derived from a plurality of sequentially measured fence pulse voltage values;
comparing a most recently measured fence pulse voltage value with said derived fence pulse voltage value;
if said most recently measured fence pulse voltage value has dropped by more than a threshold percentage of said derived fence pulse voltage value, monitoring a plurality of subsequently received fence pulse voltage value measurements for a time period;
when said time period has elapsed confirming, in response to said plurality of subsequently received fence pulse voltage value measurements continuing to show the drop to be more than the threshold percentage, that a rapid voltage drop has occurred; and
sending an alert message to a remote device reporting said rapid voltage drop.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9 , further comprising, after confirming that a rapid voltage drop has occurred, the step of determining that a safety mode is enabled and, in response, automatically de-energizing the fence.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10 , where the alert message to the remote device includes the de-energized status of the fence when the safety mode is enabled.

12. The method as set forth in claim 9 , wherein said time period is defined by a rapid drop timer that is started in response to determining that the most recently measured fence pulse voltage value has dropped by more than a threshold percentage of said derived fence pulse voltage value.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12 , wherein said derived fence pulse voltage value is an averaged fence pulse voltage value.

14. The method as set forth in claim 9 , wherein said time period is between about 1 second and about 30 seconds.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14 , wherein said threshold percentage is greater than about 10%.

16. An electric fence system comprising:
an electric fence for animal containment and the like;
a voltage pulse generator for energizing the fence;
a remote monitoring unit with a rapid voltage drop detection system operatively connected to said fence; and
a mobile device configured for wireless communication with said remote monitoring unit;
said remote monitoring unit including a controller having a safety mode, and a fence pulse detector for detecting voltage pulses on the electric fence as a plurality of data samples, said controller receiving said data samples and storing a voltage value; and
said controller configured to compare a current incoming data sample with said stored voltage value and, if said current incoming data sample has dropped by more than a threshold percentage of said stored voltage value, said controller monitoring a plurality of subsequently received data samples to confirm whether the voltage drop is a rapid voltage drop and being configured to send an alert message to said mobile device in response to said controller confirming that a rapid voltage drop has occurred.

17. The electric fence system as set forth in claim 16 , wherein said controller is further configured, in response to determining that the safety mode is enabled and that a rapid voltage drop has occurred, to automatically turn off the voltage pulse generator to de-energize the electric fence, said alert message including said fence de-energized status.

18. The electric fence system as set forth in claim 16 , wherein said remote monitoring unit further includes a low pass filter through which said data samples are passed before reaching said controller and a rapid drop timer that defines a time period over which said controller monitors the plurality of subsequently received data samples.

19. The electric fence system as set forth in claim 16 , wherein said voltage pulse generator is integrated with said remote monitoring unit as an energizer/monitoring unit.

20. The electric fence system as set forth in claim 16 , wherein said threshold percentage is greater than about 10% and a time period over which said controller monitors the plurality of subsequently received data samples is less than about 30 seconds to define the rapid voltage drop.

Assignees

• Woodstream Corp

Inventors

• Lunger Aaron William
• Daly Jr Thomas J

Classifications

• G08B25/10 Primary

  using wireless transmission systems {(G08B25/009 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G01R19/16533

  characterised by the application · CPC title

• G08B21/182

  Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold · CPC title

• A01K3/005 Primary

  Electrified fencing for pastures · CPC title