WO2001004860A1

WO2001004860A1 - Remote operational status notification system for electronic animal control apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2001004860A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/018932
Authority: WO
Inventors: Scott F. Touchton; James T. Deery, Jr.; Donald L. Peinetti
Original assignee: Ifco Enterprises, Inc.
Priority date: 1999-07-09
Filing date: 2000-07-07
Publication date: 2001-01-18
Also published as: AU5929400A

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring the operation of an animal control system, detecting a failure of the animal control system, and generating a remote alarm in the event that a failure of the animal control system is detected. A failure monitor includes a sensing circuit (18) connected with an antenna, transmitter, and/or power supply of the animal control system, and configured to sense normal operation of the animal control system. The monitor (20) is responsive to the sensor to detect cessation of normal operation of the animal control system and to operate a remote alarm system through a telephone reporting circuit (22) to report that a failure of the animal control system has occurred.

Description

REMOTE OPERATIONAL STATUS NOTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR ELECTRONIC ANIMAL CONTROL APPARATUS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system and method of providing remote notification of the operational status of an electronic animal control apparatus. In particular, the invention relates to a system and method of reporting failure of such an animal control apparatus to a central facility for responding to such failures.

Background

Electronic animal control systems are known wherein an animal is provided with a portable radio frequency receiver unit capable of delivering a physical stimulus in response to a control signal from a transmitting antenna. For example, in the animal control system described in U.S. Patent. No. 5,435,217, a loop antenna is configured to define the perimeter of an area in which an animal is to be confined. A transmitter is connected with the antenna to provide a radio signal which emanates from the antenna along the perimeter of the area. The animal is outfitted with a collar to carry a radio receiver for receiving the radio signal. When the radio signal is received, the radio receiver activates a transducer, such as an electrical impulse circuit, for applying an audible or electrical stimulus to the animal.

During operation of such an animal control system, it would be desirable to detect and respond to a failure of the transmitter and/or the antenna to produce the radio signal about the perimeter of the area. A system failure may be caused by a general failure of electrical power, a component malfunction, or a physical break in the loop antenna. For example, a burrowing rodent may damage the integrity of the loop antenna, and thereby cause a failure of the antenna to provide the desired radio signal for containing the animal. Such a failure may not be immediately apparent to the user of the system. Continued reliance upon the system to contain the animal may provide an opportunity for the animal to escape and become injured or lost. Hence, it would be desirable to provide for automatic detection and notification of a failure. Preferably, it would be desirable to provide for such detection and notification for transmission to persons having the ability to diagnose or repair the failure, such as an appropriate dealer or service technician. Summary of the Invention

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a system and method for monitoring the operation of an animal control system, detecting a failure of the animal control system, and generating a remote alarm in the event that a failure of the animal control system is detected. A failure monitor includes a sensor connected with the antenna, transmitter, and/or power supply of the animal control system, and configured to sense normal operation of the animal control system. The monitor is responsive to the sensor to detect cessation of normal operation of the animal control system and to operate a remote alarm system to report that a failure of the animal control system has occurred. In a preferred embodiment, the sensor includes a current sensor for sensing electrical current in the antenna. A microcontroller is connected with the sensor, and is programmed to monitor whether the antenna is conducting the transmitter signal. The remote alarm system preferably comprises a telephone line interface including a dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) generator. The telephone line interface is connected with the microcontroller and with a telephone subscriber line. If the microcontroller determines that the antenna has ceased to conduct the transmitter signal, then the microcontroller operates the telephone line interface to dial a predetermined telephone number for receiving reports of animal control system failures.

Brief Description of the Drawing

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic animal control system having a remote operational status notification system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a logical flow diagram showing a method of operation carried out by a controller of the remote operational status notification system of FIG. 1.

Detailed Description

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an electronic animal control system connected with a remote status notification system. The electronic animal control system is preferably of the type described in U.S. Patent No. 5,435,271, the full disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. Such an animal control system comprises a transmitter 10 connected with an antenna 12 for defining an area in which movement of an animal 14 is desired to be controlled. The transmitter produces a radio signal which is radiated from the antenna about the perimeter of the area. The animal 14 is provided with a body-mounted receiver 16 for receiving the radio signal and for providing a mild electric shock to the animal in order to encourage the animal to remain within the area. The status notification system comprises an input or sensing circuit 18, a controller

20, and a reporting circuit 22. The sensing circuit 18 provides an input signal connection between the controller 20 and a component of the animal control system, such as the antenna 12, from which the operational status of the animal control system can be determined. The controller 20 is further connected with the reporting circuit 22. The reporting circuit is operably responsive to the controller and configured to provide a report to a remote station of the operational status of the animal control system 12.

In the preferred embodiment, the sensing circuit provides a logic signal input to the controller indicating whether or not the antenna 12 is actively conducting electrical current, as would be the situation during normal operation of the animal control system. In the sensing circuit, a transformer 24 is connected with one winding in series with the antenna 12. The other winding of the transformer is connected with a saturating amplifier, comprising transistors Ql and Q2, to provide a logic-level representation of the antenna current sensing signal to terminal 26. The transformer provides an inductive tap for sensing operation of the antenna. The controller 20 preferably comprises a PIC 16LF84 microcontroller (Microchip

Technology, Inc., Chandler, Arizona) which executes a monitoring program described in greater detail below. In summary, the controller 20 monitors the condition of the logical signal on terminal 26, and operates the reporting circuit 22 in response to a change in assertion of the logical signal on terminal 26 alone or in combination with other conditions discussed below.

In the preferred embodiment, the reporting circuit has a pair of terminals 28 and 29 for connection with the tip and ring conductors of a telephone network local loop. When operated by the controller 20 to provide a remote operational status report, the reporting circuit is responsive to the controller 20 for producing an "off hook" condition at terminals 28 and 29, generating dialing signal to a predetermined telephone number in order to establish a reporting connection with a remote station, and generating or conducting a signal compatible with the local telephone network for reporting the operational status of the animal control system, as determined by the controller 20. The reporting circuit may comprise a power tap from the local telephone loop for powering the components of the remote status reporting system, such as the sensing circuit 18, the controller 20, and the reporting circuit itself. Such a power tap is desirable for maintaining the ability to provide operational status reports in the event that the animal control system failure is the result of a local electrical power failure. Additionally, the reporting circuit is preferably configured to monitor the status of the connection with the local loop, and to provide the controller with signals indicating the progress of the steps of establishing such a telephonic reporting connection and transmitting the remote status notification signal. An input/output (I/O) interface 30 is connected with the controller 20 for establishing a direct, preferably serial, connection along I/O line 32 to the controller 20 in order to download operational parameters such as the operating program, or specific data required by the operating program. Such parameters include the predetermined telephone number to be called in order to report the operational status of the animal control system, or other data required in order to monitor the status of the animal control system and/or to provide a remote operational status notification. Data may be downloaded to the microcontroller 20 in accordance with the teaching of U.S. Patent No. 5,533,469, which is incorporated by reference herein.

An exemplary program by which the controller 20 proceeds during operation will now be described with continued reference to FIG. 1 , and with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 2.

Beginning at step 50, the controller 20 proceeds to step 52 wherein the controller determines whether a signal is present at I/O line 32 indicating whether an attempt is being made to communicate with the controller 20 via I/O interface 30. If such an attempt is detected, the controller proceeds to step 54 to establish a data communication connection. Otherwise, the controller proceeds to step 56.

At step 56, the controller 20 determines the operational status of the animal control system on the basis of the input signal received on terminal 26 from the sensing circuit. During normal operation of the animal control system, the antenna signal should exhibit predetermined temporal characteristics, such as a pulse rate and/or duty cycle rate, that are indicative of proper operation of the animal control system. In the preferred embodiment, terminal 26 is connected with a timer circuit, such as a real-time clock counter feature of the microcontroller, that is operated to determine whether the input signal on terminal 26 exhibits the proper temporal characteristic. Alternatively, a counting loop can be implemented in the control program to detect the presence of the temporal characteristic at an ordinary logic- level input terminal to the microcontroller. In yet another alternative embodiment, a capacitor Cl can be connected within the sensing circuit to provide a DC indication of whether an oscillatory signal of any kind is present within the antenna. If the signal on terminal 26 indicates proper functioning of the animal control system, the controller proceeds to step 58. Otherwise, the animal control system is deemed potentially malfunctioning, and the controller proceeds to step 60. At step 60, the controller increments a count of the number of times that control has passed to step 60 in response to a potential malfunction of the animal control system. The controller then proceeds to step 62 wherein the controller determines whether a predetermined number of failures to detect proper operational status has been exceeded.

If, in step 62, the predetermined number of failures has been exceeded, the controller proceeds to step 64. If the predetermined number of failures has not been exceeded, the controller returns to step 56 to again determine whether a signal is present at terminal 26. In the event that the animal controller has become operational, then the controller will proceed to step 58 in order to reset the failure counter. It should be appreciated that the provision of multiple determinations of the presence of a signal at step 56 prior to concluding that a failure has indeed occurred, provides a safeguard against false reporting of signals in the event of a momentary or transient interruption of current in the antenna 12. In alternative embodiments, an alternative and equivalent safeguard may be provided by executing a timed delay in step 60, followed by a second determination of whether a signal is present. Such a delay may preferably be about 30 minutes in either implementation. When the controller has not detected a signal at terminal 26 for the predetermined loop count or delay period, then the controller proceeds from step 62 to step 64 in order to initiate the remote reporting procedure. At step 64, the controller operates the reporting circuit to provide an "off hook" condition on the local loop. Physically, this step is accomplished by the controller asserting I/O line 34 to the base of transistor Q3 of the reporting circuit. Transistor Q3, in turn, acts as a hook switch to bias the base of transistor Q4 to provide an "off hook" load to the local loop via bridge 36 to which the tip and ring terminals 28 and 29 are connected. Then the controller proceeds to step 66. At step 66, the controller 20 determines whether a dial tone is being received over the local loop. Within the reporting circuit, a line status monitor 26 (Holtek HT9020 Call Progress Tone Decoder) is connected in parallel with the hook switch to provide the controller 20 with information such as whether a dial tone, ringback tone, or busy signal is being received over the local loop. The line status monitor 26 is capacitively coupled to the bridge 36 via transistor Q4 in order to receive audio signals from the local loop and to provide a tri-state logical signal to the controller on I/O terminal 38 indicating the call progress status of the local loop. If, in step 66, the line status monitor indicates the presence of a dial tone, then the controller proceeds to step 68. Otherwise the controller proceeds to step 70.

In step 70, the controller operates the reporting circuit to generate an "on hook" condition, waits a predetermined delay time, and again proceeds to step 64.

In step 68, the controller operates the reporting circuit to dial a predetermined telephone number of a remote station for receiving an operational status report. A dual-tone multi -frequency (DTMF, or "touch tone") signal generator is provided within the reporting circuit, and is responsively connected to the controller via I/O terminal 42 to generate dialing signals at terminal 44. The dialing tones are provided to the local loop via a capacitive connection to transistor Q5, which sinks current from the bridge via light emitting diode DI and transistor Q4. The predetermined telephone number is one of the operating parameters of the program that can be downloaded to the controller during execution of step 54. Such a telephone number may correspond to a service facility for repairing the animal control system. Then the controller proceeds to step 72.

In step 72, the controller determines whether a telephone connection has been established via the local loop. During execution of step 72, the controller determines, on the basis of signals received from the line status monitor, whether a ringback is received (i.e. the audible ringing tone provided to the calling party of a telephone call) followed by the absence of a ringback signal. Additionally, the controller determines whether the line status monitor has detected a busy signal. If a telephone connection is not established during step 72, the controller proceeds to step 74. If a telephone connection is established during step 72, then the controller proceeds to step 76.

In step 74, the controller waits for a delay time, and then proceeds to step 75 in order to make repeated attempts to report the operational status of the animal control system. The delay time in step 74 is preferably a random delay up to a predetermined maximum delay interval. A random delay is preferable since, in the event of a widespread simultaneous power failure, other remote status notification systems in the affected area will also be attempting to make operational status reports to the service facility. As used herein, the term "random" is intended to encompass a pseudo random interval, or an interval that may be assigned to the particular status notification system on a random basis relative to other status notification systems of the same or similar type, in order to avoid the problem of multiple simultaneous attempts to report failures in an equivalent manner. Hence, a maximum delay interval can be determined according to the number of animal control systems that would report to the service facility, multiplied by the time required for each system to report a failure. Even if all systems fail simultaneously, a random delay between attempts can ensure that all systems are enabled to report the failure, and do not suffer from continued synchronized attempts to establish a telephone connection to the same telephone number. In step 75, the controller determines whether a predetermined maximum number of attempts has been made to report the status of the animal control system. If such a count has been exceeded, the controller proceeds to step 77 to cease attempting to transmit reports, and to assume a "fail safe" condition. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, the controller may, in step 77, pause for an additional delay time that is longer than the maximum random delay, and then return to step 64 to attempt to call again. Such an additional delay time would allow time, for example, for a malfunction at the service facility to be remedied.

In step 76, the controller transmits a coded signal to the remote station to report the operational status of the animal control system. Such a coded signal may be transmitted in the form of further DTMF signals from the DTMF generator 40. The coded report may identify the animal control system according to operational parameters such as a unique identifier code, telephone number, or the like. The service facility is compatibly equipped to receive automated operational status notifications and to notify service personnel to take appropriate action, such as dispatching service personnel and/or notifying the owner of the animal system to physically secure the animal. The remote station may comprise a pager system for receiving the unique identifier and for signaling one or more pagers of appropriate personnel to take appropriate action. Further information can be encoded within the operational status report, such as the time of failure and/or the type of system involved in the failure. In embodiments in which multiple sensing circuits are deployed to provide indications of specific failure modes to the controller, the operational status report may encode an identification of the specific failure mode (i.e. power failure, or the failure of a specific component of the animal control system). In an alternative embodiment, where such telephone network services as automatic number identification or "Caller-ID" is employed, the controller need not transmit any particular information beyond establishing a telephone connection to the remote station in order to identify the sources of the report. The automatic number identification information can be received at the remote station and correlated with a user database and/or automatically forwarded to appropriate personnel by telephone, computer, or wireless pager systems. In such an embodiment, the operational status report is provided in the form of the automatic identification codes provided by the telephone network after the first ring signal is transmitted to the remote station. In such an embodiment an equivalent step to providing an operational status report comprises detecting a ringback signal for a predetermined interval of time. After step 76, the controller proceeds to step 78. At step 78, the controller returns the reporting circuit to an "on hook" condition to terminate the telephone connection, and the control program completes execution. The controller may re-establish operation upon receiving a manual reset signal, after a predetermined delay interval, or upon receiving a reset signal via the I/O interface 30.

It will be appreciated that the principles of the remote operational status reporting system described in the example above are susceptible to various alternative embodiments in addition to those expressly noted. For example, while the preferred embodiment of the invention is arranged to provide an operational status report in the event of failure of the animal control system, an equivalent "fail safe" arrangement is thus rendered apparent in which regular reports of normal operation of the animal control system are made to a remote station. In such an embodiment, failure to receive such a report of normal operation would be interpreted at the remote station as a failure indication. Failure notification or "fail safe" notification, or the like, can be implemented by using various electronic communication technologies. For example, the reporting circuit may comprise a complete wireless radio or cellular telephone communication circuit for transmitting an operational status report to a remote station. In yet other alternative embodiments, the reporting circuit may comprise a data modulator-demodulator (modem) for allowing the controller to transmit data in transmission formats other than DTMF code sequences, such as serial-line data formats, including serial-line Internet protocol (SLIP) formats. Such a modem connection would enable the controller to generate data transmissions in the form of electronic mail or computer network "pager" transmissions to a remote station and/or to the owner of the system. In yet further alternative embodiments, the reporting circuit may comprise a computer network connection adapter, such as an Ethernet adapter, to enable the controller to generate and transmit operational status reports to a remote station directly via a digital communication network.

Claims

That which is claimed is:

1. A status notification system for an electronic animal control system, comprising: a controller having an input sensing connection with the animal control system for monitoring operational status of the animal control system; and, a reporting circuit responsively connected with the controller for providing a remote report of the operational status of the animal control system.

2. The status notification system of claim 1 wherein the reporting circuit is configured for connection with a telephone network.

3. The status notification system of claim 2 wherein the controller comprises a memory for storing a predetermined telephone number and wherein the reporting circuit comprises a telephone dialer operable by the controller for dialing the predetermined telephone number.

4. The status notification system of claim 1 wherein the animal control system comprises an antenna, and wherein the input sensing connection comprises an electrical sensor for sensing operation of the antenna.

5. The status notification system of claim 4 wherein the input sensing connection comprises an inductive tap connected between the antenna and the controller.

6. The status notification system of claim 5 wherein the input sensing connection comprises an amplifier connected between the inductive tap and the controller.

7. The status notification system of claim 6 further comprising a data communication interface connected with the controller for configuring an operational parameter of the controller.

8. The status notification system of claim 2, wherein the controller and the reporting circuit are connected to receive operative electrical power from the telephone network.

9. The status notification system of claim 4 wherein said controller is configured to receive a sensing signal from the input sensing connection and to compare a temporal characteristic of the sensing signal with a predetermined temporal characteristic indicating proper operation of the animal control system.

10. A method of controlling movement of an animal relative to a predetermined area, comprising the steps of: transmitting a control signal from an antenna of an animal control system; receiving the control signal at a receiver mounted on the animal and responsive thereto to stimulate the animal; sensing transmission of the control signal independent of the receiver; and, providing a remote report of the operational status of the animal control system in response to said sensing step.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said sensing step comprises sensing an electrical signal in the antenna.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said sensing step comprises comparing the electrical signal in the antenna with a predetermined time-dependent characteristic of the control signal.

13. In an animal control system comprising a signal generator for generating a control signal, and an antenna connected with the signal generator for transmitting the control system, a remote operational status notification system, comprising: a sensing circuit connected with one of the signal generator and the antenna, for producing a sensing signal in response to operation of the animal control system; a controller connected to receive the sensing signal and to determine an operational status of the animal control system on the basis of the sensing signal; and, a reporting circuit operably connected with the controller for transmitting a remote report of the operational status determined by the controller.

14. The remote status notification system of claim 13, wherein the reporting circuit is configured for connection with a telephone network, the reporting circuit comprising: a dialer for communicating dialing tones to the telephone network; and a line status monitor for monitoring the status of the connection with the telephone network; the controller further configured for operating the dialer to establish a telephonic connection in accordance with predetermined telephone number for providing the remote report; and, the controller further connected with the line status monitor and configured to establish the telephonic connection in accordance with the status of the connection with the telephone network.

15. The remote status notification system of claim 14 wherein the controller is configured to:

(i) operate the dialer to establish a telephonic connection for providing the remote report in response to a determination of the operational status of the animal control system; (ii) determine whether a telephone connection was established in response to operating the dialer;

(iii) cease operating the dialer for a random time interval when it is determined that no telephone connection was established; and, (iv) re-operate the dialer after cessation for said random time interval.

16. The remote status notification system of claim 13 wherein the controller is configured to operate the reporting circuit in response to determining that the operational status of the animal control system is a failure condition.

17. The remote status notification system of claim 16 wherein the controller is configured to monitor operation of the reporting circuit to determine whether the remote operational status report was transmitted.

18. The remote status notification system of claim 17 wherein the controller is configured to cease operation of the reporting circuit for a random time interval when it is determined that the remote operational status report was not transmitted, and to re-operate the reporting circuit after passage of the random time interval.