GB2597060A - Improvements in pet and animal location tracking device systems - Google Patents

Improvements in pet and animal location tracking device systems Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2597060A
GB2597060A GB2010382.6A GB202010382A GB2597060A GB 2597060 A GB2597060 A GB 2597060A GB 202010382 A GB202010382 A GB 202010382A GB 2597060 A GB2597060 A GB 2597060A
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Prior art keywords
pet
animal
tracking device
location tracking
galileo
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GB202010382D0 (en
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Jade Bell Nicola
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Individual
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Individual
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    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01KANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K11/00Marking of animals
    • A01K11/006Automatic identification systems for animals, e.g. electronic devices, transponders for animals
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01KANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K11/00Marking of animals
    • A01K11/006Automatic identification systems for animals, e.g. electronic devices, transponders for animals
    • A01K11/008Automatic identification systems for animals, e.g. electronic devices, transponders for animals incorporating GPS
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01KANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K15/00Devices for taming animals, e.g. nose-rings or hobbles; Devices for overturning animals in general; Training or exercising equipment; Covering boxes
    • A01K15/02Training or exercising equipment, e.g. mazes or labyrinths for animals ; Electric shock devices ; Toys specially adapted for animals
    • A01K15/021Electronic training devices specially adapted for dogs or cats

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Animal Husbandry (AREA)
  • Zoology (AREA)
  • Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
  • Birds (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
  • Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
  • Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Position Fixing By Use Of Radio Waves (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a pet or animal location tracking device having a receiver and/or transmitter chip inserted into an animal’s skin, which uses global or country provided satellite or beacon systems such as Galileo, BeiDou/ Compass, IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) and QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System). The systems each provide means for the chip transmitter and/or receiver to send a location position from the pet to a hand held device, such as a smart phone or tablet to optionally show on a web based map where the pet or animal is located, to enable it to be rescued or monitored.

Description

PATENT APPLICATION
OF
NICOLA JADE BELL
FOR
IMPROVEMENTS IN PET AND ANIMAL LOCATION TRACKING DEVICE SYSTEMS
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices which are attached to pets or animals, such as dog and cats or others, to enable the owner or interested party to track their movement or confirm their location.
Background
The use of GPS pet or wildlife tracking is a process whereby pet owners, biologists, scientific researchers or conservation agencies can remotely observe relatively fine-scale movement and the exact location of any missing pets or migratory patterns in a free-ranging wild animal using the Global Positioning System and optional environmental sensors or automated data-retrieval technologies such as Argos satellite uplink, mobile data telephony or GPRS and a range of analytical software tools.
A GPS-enabled device will normally record and store location data at a predetermined interval or on interrupt by an environmental sensor. These data may be stored pending recovery of the device or relayed to a central data store or internet-connected computer using an embedded cellular (GPRS), radio, or satellite modem. The animal's location can then be plotted on a smart phone or against a map or chart in near real-time or, when analysing the track later, using a GIS package or custom software.
While GPS tracking devices may also be attached to domestic animals such as pets, pedigree livestock and working dogs, and similar systems are used in fleet management of vehicles, wildlife tracking can place additional constraints on size and weight and may not allow for post-deployment recharging or replacement of batteries or correction of attachment.
A transmitter system to locate a pet or animal is already known in the art and relies mainly on GPS (Global Positioning System) for delivery. These use the collar of the pet in many versions and the user receives the location of the animal from the transmitter on the pet to a hand held device, such as a smart phone. These are widely known and are used worldwide.
However, GPS has working issues in many cases and has a tendency to 'drop out' or lose its connection, for periods. The collar or harness can also easily be removed by a thief if the pet is stolen and so is the tracking device therefore.
This is known in many GPS systems and deliveries, including car and vehicle or sea vessel navigation.
These issues include Potential problems with GPS Tracking: Poor mobile network coverage. The unit may not be able to send its location because of a weak or non-existent mobile signal. GPS tracking units typically send their location over the mobile network so if there is no signal, and then the location can be sent. The GPS chip in your GPS Tracking device calculates its location by receiving the time and identification signal from 3 or more satellites. The chip uses this information to work out its position on the globe. However, if less than 3 signals are visible because the line of sight between the GPS device and the GPS satellites is being blocked (i.e., by trees, buildings or metal obstructions in the vehicle), then the unit will not be able to calculate its position accurately.
The signal from the satellite may also get bounced around. This is often known as the "Canyon effect" and can happen when your vehicle is surrounded by tall buildings. In this case, an error will be introduced into the location and the GPS device may show in the wrong location or seem to bounce around. Solar flares can also cause distortion in the signal although this tends to be more sporadic and well publicised. There are a number of scare stories about cheap GPS jammers being used to disable GPS tracking devices. Technology is certainly becoming more prevalent although it doesn't seem to be widespread now. However, there are other things that people will do either on purpose or unknowingly such as putting TFT screens such as sat nays near the antenna or covering with a metal backed folder. The antennas can send through plastic but not metal. You also need to be careful where you put the antenna. Especially in newer vehicles which have metalised glass or heating strips embedded within the windscreen.
The unit may not be able to send its location because of a weak or non-existent mobile signal. GPS tracking units typically send their location over the mobile network so if there is no signal, and then the location can be sent. Systems such as Auto Alert have intelligence built into the server to try to predict the location but as more time elapses then the guess becomes more and more inaccurate, or at best just shows the last known location. As the mobile networks typically prioritize voice over data, you might be showing a strong signal on your phone, but if there is a lot of traffic then the signal might not get through from the unit. Vodafone publishes a list of issues with its coverage, so this is a good first port of call if you're unit hasn't' sent a location for a while.
Obviously if you're unit hasn't got power then this will mean it can't check and send its location. If you have an Auto Alert installed GPS unit, check the LEDs are flashing, the fuses haven't blown and it is getting power.
If you're using an Auto Alert portable unit, check out our post on maximising your portable GPS tracking unit's battery life.
Pet trackers using GPS and variants of system delivery to attempt to overcome the GPS system issues are well known and Patent US20130285815 discloses an animal tracking system with a chip implanted in the dog to transmit the location of the dog to a remote server, using GPS as a system delivery.
Patent CN101800934 shows a pet tracker with a wireless communications unit used for receiving pre-defined messages in a mobile phone and a wireless receiving speaker unit, enables commands to be delivered to the dog therefore.
Patent US5900818 shows a collar with a transmission system and receiver for hunting dog location. A radio frequency transmitting device has detector means for generating signals.
Therefore the present invention aims to provide a skin inserted device as a pet or animal tracker system which utilises the other navigation systems, including but not exclusively the systems of Be Dow' Compass, GALILEO, IRNSS and OZSS.
Summary of the invention
According to the present invention there is provided a device for providing a position locator for a pet or animal which is lost or not near its owner. The ideal application of the transmitter to the dog or cat would always be a skin inserted device, being a transmitter! receiver.
In a first embodiment the transmitter is able to communicate with either ground based beacons or receivers which then relay the location of the animal to a central processing unit, which in turn sends a decoded or direct message of location to a hand held device, such as a smart phone, watch or tablet.
In a second embodiment, the transmitter on the pet or animal is able to send the location directly to a satellite system which is relayed to the user on their hand held device.
In a third embodiment the transmitter on the pet is able to receive a signal from a central output system and return the signal to the locator and onto the users hand held device.
These embodiments, would utilise alternative systems to GPS such as Galileo, BeiDout Compass, 1RNSS and OZSS.
Galileo is the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that is currently being created by means of the European Union (EU) through the full European Space Agency (ESA), headquartered in Prague in the Czech Republic, with two ground based operations centres, Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich in Germany and Fucino in Italy. The project is named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. One of the aims of Galileo is to provide an independent high-precision positioning system so European nations do not have to rely on the Russian GLONASS, Chinese BeiDou or US GPS systems, which could be disabled or degraded by their operators at any time. The use of basic (lower-precision) Galileo services will be free and open to everyone. The higher-precision capabilities will be available for paying commercial users. Galileo is intended to provide horizontal and vertical position measurements within 1-metre precision and better positioning services at higher latitudes than other positioning systems. One of the reasons given for developing Galileo as an independent system was that position information from GPS can be made significantly inaccurate by the deliberate application of universal Selective Availability (SA) by the US military. GPS is widely used worldwide for civilian applications; Galileo's proponents argued that civil infrastructure, including airplane navigation and landing, should not rely solely upon a system with this vulnerability. The pet tracker system is configured to use the Galileo system and delivery of its global locating abilities therefore.
The pet tracker for use with Galileo is a chip which is similar to the chip found in any modern smart phone. The chip inside the pets skin contains multiple components, each supporting a specific function, such as processing and location. The chip is able to be recharged by wireless charging at home, located near to the pets bed or resting area.
To calculate the position of the pet or animal the chip depends on data provided by Galileo. The chip inside the pets skin is disclosed within this patent document uses multi-GNSS and is therefore able to link to Galileo. With a Galileo-enabled chip, the pet tracker works with standard applications, such as Google Maps (TRADE MARK) and other location-based services. With a Galileo-enabled chip inside the pet tracker, the location is calculated using Galileo on top of GPS and other GNSS constellations. Although the user will not be able to "see" the difference that this Galileo-capability makes, they will nonetheless benefit from the more accurate and reliable positioning that it provides. With Galileo, the positioning information provided by the chip in the tracker is more accurate and reliable -particularly in urban environments where narrow streets and tall buildings can block satellite signals and limit the usefulness of many mobile services.
Other systems can interact with the chip inside the pet tracker, including more regional offerings such as BeiDou/ Compass. BeiDou-1 is an experimental regional navigation system, which consists of four satellites (three working satellites and one backup satellite). The satellites themselves were based on the Chinese DFH-3 geostationary communications satellite and had a launch weight of 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) each. Unlike the American GPS, Russian GLONASS, and European Galileo systems, which use medium Earth orbit satellites, BeiDou-1 uses satellites in geostationary orbit. This means that the system does not require a large constellation of satellites, but it also limits the coverage to areas on Earth where the satellites are visible. The area that can be serviced is from longitude 70°E to 1400E and from latitude 5°N to 55°N. A frequency of the system is 2491.75 MHz.
The resolution of the BeiDou system was as high as 0.5 metres. With the existing user terminals it appears that the calibrated accuracy is 20m (100m, uncalibrated). The ranging signals are based on the CDMA principle and have complex structure typical of Galileo or modernized GPS. Similar to the other global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs), there will be two levels of positioning service: open (public) and restricted (military). The public service will be available globally to general users. When all the currently planned GNSSs are deployed, users of multi-constellation receivers will benefit from a total over 100 satellites, which will significantly improve all aspects of positioning and the availability of the signals in so-called urban canyons. The general designer of the COMPASS navigation is also the general designer of its predecessor, the original BeiDou navigation system.
The system is now becoming global with the launch of further satellites and can offer pet and animal tracking on a broader territory, without the dependence of GPS Regional future systems such as the Indian IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) which is still emerging may also offer support for the pet or animal tracker system herein described.
The QZSS system uses three satellites, each 1200 apart, in highly inclined, slightly elliptical, geosynchronous orbits. Because of this inclination, they are not geostationary; they do not remain in the same place in the sky. Instead, their ground traces are asymmetrical figure-8 patterns (analemmas), designed to ensure that one is almost directly overhead (elevation 600 or more) over Japan at all times.
The Quasi-Zenith Satellites transmit signals compatible with the GPS L1C/A signal, as well as the modernized GPS L1C, L2C signal and L5 signals. This minimizes changes to existing GPS receivers.
Compared to standalone GPS, the combined system GPS plus QZSS delivers improved positioning performance via ranging correction data provided through the transmission of submeter-class performance enhancement signals L1-SAIF and LEX from QZSS. It also improves reliability by means of failure monitoring and system health data notifications. QZSS also provides other support data to users to improve GPS satellite acquisition.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention, Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the Patent Office and the public-generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved pet and animal location tracking device which has all the advantages of the prior art pet tracking devices and systems and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new pet and animal location tracking device which may be e,asily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved pet and animal location tracking device which is of durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved pet and animal location tracking device which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labour, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such a product available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved swimming resistance training device which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

Claims (8)

  1. Claims 1) A pet and animal location tracking device constituted by: A transmitter and/or receiver chip installed into a pet or animals skin, which uses multi-GNSS and global or country provided satellite or beacon systems as Galileo, BeiDoui Compass! IRNSS and 0755, the findings are sent to a hand held or other device such as a smart phone or tablet.
  2. 2) A pet and animal location tracking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein, to calculate the position of the pet or animal the chip using the Galileo global system depends on data provided by Galileo.
  3. 3) A pet and animal location tracking device as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 2 wherein, the chip inside the pet tracker disclosed within this patent document uses multi-GNSS and is therefore able to link to the Galileo global system.
  4. 4) A pet and animal location tracking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein, a transmitter or receiver chip installed into a pet or animals skin, uses the BeiDou/ Compass system to connect and locate a pet or animal.
  5. 5) A pet and animal location tracking device as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 4 wherein, the location of a pet or animal which was identified by the BeiDou/ Compass system is sent to a hand held device.
  6. 6) A pet and animal location tracking device as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 5 wherein, information sent to a person's hand held device shows the location of a pet or animal on a web based map.
  7. 7) A pet and animal location tracking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein, a transmitter or receiver chip installed into a pet or animals skin, use the IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) to connect and locate a pet or animal.
  8. 8) A pet and animal location tracking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein, a transmitter or receiver chip installed into a pet or animals skin uses the QZSS (The Quasi-Zenith Satellite System) to connect and locate a pet or animal.
GB2010382.6A 2020-07-07 2020-07-07 Improvements in pet and animal location tracking device systems Withdrawn GB2597060A (en)

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GB2597060A true GB2597060A (en) 2022-01-19

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Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2003027718A1 (en) * 2001-09-28 2003-04-03 Telenvironment Ab A method and a system for controlling meat products
WO2003071868A1 (en) * 2002-02-27 2003-09-04 Aniwell Oy Surveillance system for animals
WO2007103886A2 (en) * 2006-03-03 2007-09-13 Fort Supply Ip, Llc System and method for social group management
GB2544572A (en) * 2016-05-31 2017-05-24 Kinect Solutions Ltd Animal tracking system
WO2018034610A1 (en) * 2016-08-17 2018-02-22 Delaval Holding Ab Method and control unit for locating animals
WO2018197849A1 (en) * 2017-04-28 2018-11-01 Sureflap Ltd Pet monitoring device
US20190350169A1 (en) * 2017-12-06 2019-11-21 Trupanion, Inc. Motion powered pet tracker system and method

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2003027718A1 (en) * 2001-09-28 2003-04-03 Telenvironment Ab A method and a system for controlling meat products
WO2003071868A1 (en) * 2002-02-27 2003-09-04 Aniwell Oy Surveillance system for animals
WO2007103886A2 (en) * 2006-03-03 2007-09-13 Fort Supply Ip, Llc System and method for social group management
GB2544572A (en) * 2016-05-31 2017-05-24 Kinect Solutions Ltd Animal tracking system
WO2018034610A1 (en) * 2016-08-17 2018-02-22 Delaval Holding Ab Method and control unit for locating animals
WO2018197849A1 (en) * 2017-04-28 2018-11-01 Sureflap Ltd Pet monitoring device
US20190350169A1 (en) * 2017-12-06 2019-11-21 Trupanion, Inc. Motion powered pet tracker system and method

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