IL301005A - A system for scaring animals - Google Patents

Description

0293163324- AN ANIMAL SCARING SYSTEM TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to an animal scaring system, and in particular to a bird scaring system.

BACKGROUND ART References considered to be relevant as background to the presently disclosed subject matter are listed below: US6385915(B1) - Bird-scaring device us2017006854(a1) - Apparatus to deter birds and animals from roosting on boat decks and other surface areas CN113749084(A) - Instant bionic snake bird repelling device and instant bionic snake bird repelling method CN111642495(A) - Electric power tower multifunctional bird repeller CN113973792(A) - Hazard monitoring and early warning device for agriculture and forestry scene. Acknowledgement of the above references herein is not to be inferred as meaning that these are in any way relevant to the patentability of the presently disclosed subject matter. BACKGROUNDBirds and other pest animals, such as squirrels, chipmunks and raccoons, have become a nuisance, especially on balconies in high rise apartments, because of their propensity to destroy property and leave feces scattered about. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for scaring nuisance animals away without hurting them in any way.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION The present inventors have realized an animal scaring system. According to a first aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter there is provided an animal scaring system comprising: 0293163324- a base, an extendable member mounted on the base and being retractably deployable between a retracted position and an extended position, in which the extendable member extends from the base to a greater extent than in the retracted position; a spatial sensor configured to sense at least one of a distance and an angle of the animal relative to itself, and produce a corresponding data signal indicative thereto; and a control system comprising: a processor operatively connected to at least said spatial sensor, and being configured to: (i) receive said data signal from the spatial sensor, (ii) process said data signal, and (iii) produce a corresponding instruction signal being indicative of at least one of the extent, and an angle to which said extendable member should deploy to scare the animal, and an actuator operatively connected to both the extendable member and the processor, and configured to receive said instruction signal and actuate said extendable member accordingly. According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the spatial sensor may be situated on the base to provide a more accurate measure of where the animal is in relation to the extendable member.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the processor and said actuator may be situated on said base to provide a more accurate measure of where the animal is in relation to the extendable member, and to simplify the deployment of the system.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the extendable member may have a central axis and may be rotatable about the central axis. A rotatable extendable member enables the extendable member to be directed at various angles from the base, depending on the location of the animal.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the base may have a base plane, and the extendable member may be rotatable with respect to the base plane. A rotatable 0293163324- extendable member enables the extendable member to be directed at various angles from the base, depending on the location of the animal.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the processing of the data signal may comprise determining at least one of; the distance of the animal relative to the extendable member, and the angle of the animal relative to the extendable member about the central axis and the base plane. A extendable member rotatable about two axes enables the extendable member to be directed at various angles around the base and upwardly from the base, depending on the location of the animal.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the processing of the data signal may comprise determining the distance of the animal relative to the extendable member, and the angle of the animal relative to the extendable member about the central axis and the base plane.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the actuator may comprise at least one motor configured to rotate the extendable member about the central axis and said base plane. The motor can be controlled by the actuator and the processor for steering the extendable member around the central axis and about a horizontal axis.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the at least one motor may comprise a first motor configured to rotate the extendable member about the central axis, and a second motor configured to rotate the extendable member with respect to the base plane.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the at least one motor may comprise a motorized ball joint.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the instruction signal may be configured to instruct the actuator to extend the extendable member to an extent dependent on the distance of said animal from the extendable member. The extendable member can be controlled to extend to adjacent the animal without hitting the animal.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the instruction signal may be configured to instruct the actuator to extend the extendable member to a predetermined distance from the animal, e.g. to scare but not hit or hurt the animal. 0293163324- According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the extendable member may comprise a telescopic arm, which is extendable along the extension axis without disturbing the surrounding area.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the extendable member may comprise a coiled arm, such as plastic or metal, to provide strength in one axis, but flexibility in another axis enabling the arm to be wound around a reel.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the extendable member may comprise a leading edge configured to move along an extension axis as the extendable member extends between the retracted position and the extended position without disturbing the surrounding area.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the leading edge may be mounted with a warning sensor operatively connected to the actuator and configured to produce a warning signal thereto upon sending an object in interfering in a path of said leading edge, and wherein said actuator, upon receiving said warning signal, is configured to stop an advancement of the leading edge away from the base along the extension axis, thereby not contacting or hurting the animal or damaging the extendable member.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments an animal figure, such as a predator, may be positioned at the leading edge to enhance the scare factor.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the base weighs enough so as to be able to support the extendable member at the deployed position thereof without being fixed to an external support. Accordingly, the system may be easily deployed without having to be mounted using mechanical fasteners or any mechanical knowledge.

According to any of the aforementioned embodiments the actuator may comprise a conveyor mechanism configured to deploy the extendible member towards the extended position thereof.

According to a second aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter there is provided a bird scaring system comprising at least an extendible member and a sensor, the sensor being configured to sense a bird; and the extendable member comprising a leading edge configured to move along an extension axis between a retracted position and 0293163324- a deployed position of said extendable member, upon the sensor sensing at least a presence of a bird.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1illustrates an exemplary animal scaring system; FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the animal scaring system of FIG. 1 in the retracted position; FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the animal scaring system of FIG. 1 in an extended position; and FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the animal scaring system of FIG. 1 with the extendable member rotated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS With reference to FIGS. 1A to 1E, an animal, e.g. bird, scaring system 1 comprises a base 2, and an extendable member 3 mounted on the base 2. The extendable member is configured to retractably deployable between a fully retracted position (FIG. 2) and a fully extended position (FIG. 3), in which the extendable member 3 extends from the base to a greater extent than in the retracted position. In some exemplary embodiments, the extendable member 3 is configured to be extendable to a plurality of different extended positions between the fully retracted position and fully extended position. The base 2 can be comprised of a material and size that provides enough weight to support the extendable member 3 at the fully deployed position thereof without being fixed to an external support, but the base 2 can be mounted on an external structure for extra stability. A spatial sensor 5, e.g. a motion detector, is configured to sense at least one of a distance and an angle of the animal relative to itself, and produce a corresponding data signal indicative thereto. In the illustrated embodiment, the spatial sensor 5 is situated on the base 2, but the spatial system may be mounted in other remote locations. 0293163324- A control system comprises a processor 6 and an actuator 7. The processor 6 is operatively connected to at least the spatial sensor 5, and is configured to: (i) receive the data signal from the spatial sensor 5, (ii) process the data signal, and (iii) produce a corresponding instruction signal indicative of at least one of the extent, and an angle to which the extendable member 3 should deploy to scare the animal. The actuator 7 is operatively connected, e.g. via electrical wiring, to both the extendable member 3 and the processor 6, and is configured to receive the instruction signal and actuate the extendable member 3 accordingly. In the illustrated embodiment the processor 6 and the actuator are situated on the base 2, but the processor 6 may be mounted in other remote locations. The extendable member 3 may be fixed on the base 2, but in some embodiments, the extendable member 3 is rotatably mounted on the base 2 about a central axis A. The base has a base plane, and the extendable member 3 is rotatable with respect to the base plane about a horizontal axis B. In the illustrated embodiment the extendable member 3 is mounted on a support 8, which is both rotatable, e.g. up to 360°, about the central axis A, but also tiltable, e.g. up to 45°, relative to the base plane. An undercarriage 9 may be positioned on the base 2 providing relative rotation between the support 8 and the base 2, as well as tilting of the support 8 relative to the base 2.

The actuator 7 comprises at least one motor configured to rotate the extendable member 3 about the central axis A and the base plane. The at least one motor may comprise a first motor configured to rotate the extendable member 3 about the central axis A, and a second motor configured to rotate the extendable member 3 with respect to the base plane. In some embodiments, the at least one motor comprises a motorized ball joint.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the extendable member 3 comprises an elongated flexible arm 11 comprising a strip of, e.g. plastic, fiber glass, or metal, which can be wound or coiled onto a reel 12, e.g. like a tape measure. The strip provides strength in one axis, but flexibility in another axis, whereby the arm 11 is extendable in a straight line along an extension axis, but can be wound onto the reel 12. Alternatively, the extendable member comprises a telescopic arm 13 (FIGS 2 and 3) also extendable in a straight line along an extension axis. The extendable member 3 comprises a leading edge configured to move along the extension axis as the arm 11 or 13 extends between the retracted position and the extended position without disturbing the surrounding area. In 0293163324- some embodiments the leading edge includes a warning sensor operatively connected to the actuator 7 and configured to produce a warning signal thereto upon sending an object in interfering in a path of said leading edge. The actuator 7, upon receiving the warning signal, is configured to stop an advancement of the leading edge away from the base along the extension axis. A figure 16, such as a predatory animal, may be mounted at the leading edge to enhance the effect of the extendable member 3 to scare the animal, e.g. bird, away.

In some embodiments, the actuator 7 comprises a conveyor mechanism 21 configured to deploy the extendible member 3 towards the extended position thereof. The conveyor mechanism 21 includes a plurality of rollers, at least one connected to and driven by one of the motors, for frictionally engaging the arm 11. In operation, when the driven roller is rotated by one of the motors in a first direction, the arm 11 is extended outwardly into one of the extended positions. When the driven roller 22 is rotated in a second, opposite, direction the arm is retracted back onto the reel 12.

In some embodiments, the processing of the data signal by the processor 6 comprises determining at least one of; the distance of the animal relative to the extendable member 3, and the angle of the animal relative to the extendable member 3, e.g. about the central axis A and/or above the base plane. The processing of the data signal comprises determining the distance of the animal relative to the extendable member 3, and the angle of the animal relative to the extendable member 3 about the central axis A and the base plane.

In some embodiments, the instruction signal from the processor 6 is configured to instruct the actuator 7 to extend the arm 11 or 13 of the extendable member 3 to an extent dependent on the distance of the animal from the extendable member 3. said instruction signal is configured to instruct the actuator 7 to extend the arm 11 or 13 of the extendable member 3 to a predetermined distance from the animal, so as not to hurt the animal.

In some embodiments, the bird scaring system 1 comprises at least the extendible member 3 and the sensor 5, wherein the sensor 5 is configured to sense a bird; and the extendable member 3 comprising a leading edge is configured to move along an extension axis between a fully retracted position and a fully deployed position of the extendable member 3, upon the sensor 5 sensing at least a presence of a bird.

Claims (20)

- 8 - 0293163325- CLAIMS:

1. An animal scaring system comprising: a base, an extendable member mounted on the base and being retractably deployable between a retracted position and an extended position, in which the extendable member extends from the base to a greater extent than in the retracted position; a spatial sensor configured to sense at least one of a distance and an angle of the animal relative to itself, and produce a corresponding data signal indicative thereto; and a control system comprising: a processor operatively connected to at least said spatial sensor, and being configured to: (i) receive said data signal from the spatial sensor, (ii) process said data signal, and (iii) produce a corresponding instruction signal being indicative of at least one of the extent, and an angle to which said extendable member should deploy to scare the animal, and an actuator operatively connected to both the extendable member and the processor, and configured to receive said instruction signal and actuate said extendable member accordingly.

2. A system according to Claim 1, wherein said spatial sensor is situated on said base.

3. A system according to Claim 2, wherein said processor and said actuator are situated on said base.

4. A system according to Claim 1, wherein said extendable member has a central axis and is rotatable about said central axis. - 9 - 0293163325-

5. A system according to Claim 4, wherein said base has a base plane, and said extendable member is rotatable with respect to said base plane.

6. A system according to Claim 5, wherein the processing of said data signal comprises determining at least one of; the distance of the animal relative to the extendable member, and the angles of the animal relative to the extendable member about the central axis and the base plane.

7. A system according to Claim 5, wherein the processing of said data signal comprises determining the distance of the animal relative to the extendable member, and the angles of the animal relative to the extendable member about the central axis and the base plane.

8. A system according to Claim 7, wherein said actuator comprises at least one motor configured to rotate said extendable member about said central axis and said base plane.

9. A system according to Claim 8, wherein said at least one motor is constituted by a first motor configured to rotate said extendable member about said central axis, and a second motor configured to rotate said extendable member with respect to said base plane.

10. A system according to Claim 8, wherein said at least one motor is constituted by a motorized ball joint.

11. A system according to Claim 1, wherein said instruction signal is configured to instruct said actuator to extend said extendable member to an extent dependent on said distance of said animal from the extendable member.

12. A system according to Claim 11, wherein said instruction signal is configured to instruct said actuator to extend the extendable member to a predetermined distance from the animal. - 10 - 0293163325-

13. A system according to Claim 1, wherein said extendable member is telescopic.

14. A system according to Claim 1, wherein said extendable member is coiled.

15. A system according to Claim 1, wherein said extendable member comprising a leading edge configured to move along an extension axis as said extendable member extends between said retracted position and said extended position.

16. A system according to Claim 15, wherein said leading edge is mounted with a warning sensor operatively connected to said actuator and configured to produce a warning signal thereto upon sending an object in interfering in a path of said leading edge, and wherein said actuator, upon receiving said warning signal, is configured to stop an advancement of said leading edge away from said base along said extension axis.

17. A system according to Claim 15, wherein an animal figure is positioned at said leading edge.

18. A system according to Claim 1, wherein said base weighs enough so as to be able to support the extendable member at the deployed position thereof without being fixed to an external support.

19. A system according to Claim 14, wherein said actuator comprises a conveyor mechanism configured to deploy said extendible member towards the extended position thereof.

20. A bird scaring system comprising at least an extendible member and a sensor, said sensor being configured to sense a bird; and said extendable member comprising a leading edge configured to move along an extension axis between a retracted position and a deployed position of said extendable member, upon said sensor sensing at least a presence of a bird.