JPS6367320B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to an electric fence biasing device.

[Conventional technology]

Research on dairy cows has shown that stimulation patterns are important in determining behavior. Experiments have shown that more desirable animal responses are obtained if pleasurable stimuli are applied irregularly. As an example, if you occasionally and randomly feed small amounts of tasty supplementary food during milking times,
Cows begin to willingly enter the milking shed. If meals are fed regularly at each milking, this enhancing effect disappears as the cow learns that meals are being fed regularly and movement is not encouraged.

Similarly, animals have been found to exhibit the same type of movement pattern when a counterstimulus is applied. In an experiment, cows were given a small electric shock during milking.
It has been found that during each milking the experimental animals adapted very quickly to the known pattern of shocks applied at specific stages of milking. Although these cows showed signs of embarrassment and were clearly affected, after an initial acclimatization period they continued to enter the shed in a completely normal manner;
Responded normally to milking.

In a subsequent trial, the same level of electrical shock was applied to the cows at random three times out of 14 milkings, and the cows became extremely sensitive, making it extremely difficult to place them in the milking box. . The cows were afraid of the shed and showed signs of fear by shaking and trembling during every milking. The response to random shocks was much greater for the cows than when predictable patterns were used. In some cases, the reaction to the electric shock was such that the cows could barely enter the shed and had to be physically ``carried'' out.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Animals are often adapted to withstand the shock exerted by electric fences while raiding the fence. Some cows "rush" into the fence when they break down, knowing that they will be hit once or twice.

It is also known that cattle become aware of the operation of electric fences by sensing impulses from the reference potential in the fence leaking to the ground. Cows can sense voltages as low as 2.0V between their front and back legs and can easily detect small voltage gradients on the ground near electric fences.
Under these conditions, livestock learn that the fence is not energized and may walk on damaged fence wires. Normally, a cow passes under the wire until it lightly touches the hair, and then receives a small shock at a certain point. Thus, currently available electric fencing devices have disadvantages.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric fence biasing device which eliminates or minimizes the aforementioned disadvantages and allows a useful selection.

[Means for solving problems]

Accordingly, the present invention provides an electric fence forcer capable of supplying a pulse train to one or more electric fences, characterized in that it includes a control device that supplies, during use, a pulse train of unpredictable composition to the animal. shall be.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains that many structural modifications and widely different embodiments and applications of the invention can be modified within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. . The content herein disclosed is purely illustrative and is not restrictive in any way.

〔Example〕

One preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in detail below.

In a preferred form of the invention, an electric fence energizing device 1 is provided which applies a set of voltage pulses to one or more electric fence wires 2. The electric fence activation device 1 is provided with a control device 3, which makes the composition of the pulse train unpredictable to the animal. The time gap between pulses or bursts of pulses as well as the voltage of the pulses, the number of pulses in a multi-pulse burst, and the length of the pulses can also be varied.

In one embodiment of the invention, the delay time between pulses is adjusted such that the output pulse train is relatively closely spaced pulses separated by relatively long time gaps between pulses. If desired, the time delay can be variable, and the number of pulses per group of pulses, pulse voltage, and pulse length can also be varied so that they are not predictable for the animal. Thus, the aspect of variation can be patterned, semi-patterned, random, or irregular.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, one group of pulses 4
is supplied to the electric fence 2, and this pulse group includes three pulses at predetermined intervals, e.g. about one pulse per second.
Contains 4 or 5 pulses. A longer time delay 5 is then set, which is typically required, for example, when supplying 20 or 30 pulses at a pulse repetition rate of conventionally used electric fence actuators. The time can be equal to the time It can also be used for longer or shorter periods of time.

For example, the delay may include a time period 6 of about 30 seconds, but a one minute delay 7 is acceptable. In actual operation, even longer delay times may be used. pulse burst 4 and subsequent pulse train 8,
The delay times between 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 can and are preferably variable. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 4, it is desirable that the number of pulses per pulse burst be varied in an irregular manner.

Such pulse trains can be provided in various ways,
For example, the electric fence biasing device 1 includes a control device (typically indicated at 3) by which the time gap is not kept constant, ie a longer gap is introduced. The control device 3 has several selection functions and includes, for example, a switch or switching circuit for switching the energizing device between a state in which a pulse order is specified and a state in which a pulse order is not specified. There are many ways to achieve this effect, such as by switching on the fence pulse for a set of 3 or 4 pulses and then switching it off for a subsequent set of, say, 20 to 60 pulses. A counter is used. In another configuration, a low frequency timing circuit pulsates for a few seconds when the fence pulse is sent to the electric fence, and then switches to a standby phase, which does not need to be precisely controlled, for example, a preset time of 1/2 to 1 minute. are provided, and some flexibility may be advantageous structurally.

In yet another arrangement, a mechanical switching device may be provided to turn on the energizing device to deliver several pulses as needed, for example every 1/2 to 1 minute.

The precise method of switching is not itself an essential element of the invention, and the key element of the invention in the embodiments described above is the use of a short set of short intervals with variable length longer times during which no output pulses are delivered. It's about giving a pulse.

In yet another configuration, a plurality of electric fences 2 are provided, for example, in a farm where the entire farm is subdivided by electric fences. Such devices are used, for example, in many dairy farms. In these situations, farms are often divided into a number of separate blocks, each block having a connection back to a central control point. Each block is turned on and off as livestock move through the farm so that energizing power is not wasted by operating blocks that are not in use, thus keeping the available livestock at a good working level. . In many systems, maintaining appropriate shock levels is accomplished by using several biasing devices, each connected to a separate block on the farm. Although this is effective, it is expensive to have multiple biasing devices. The interrupter described in this example is suitable for use in this type of layout. By using a distributor type switch, the fence energizing device can be connected to each block of the farm fencing system in sequence, each block receiving a sufficient energizing output for this time. Thus, the time the distributor does not direct the pulse sequence to a particular fence is the pulse delay time for that fence. Switching for such distributors is accomplished by means such as a motor-driven rotary switch or a solid state switch operated by an electronic control unit that generates the switching pulses through standard logic circuitry. The connection to each block is, for example, an insulator 1 which divides the conductor ring 15 into a number of arcs 17, each connected to one fence block.
This is done by means of a conductor ring 15 with 6. The input from the biasing device 1 is applied to a wiper that is attached to the center of the conductor ring 15 and rotates around it.
It is connected to the arm 18. Thus arm 18
moves sequentially from the part of the ring corresponding to one block to the other parts of the ring.

Thus, in the embodiments of the invention described above, an electric fence energizing device is provided that is capable of supplying pulses to the electric fence such that the time gaps between the pulses are irregular. In particular, the time gap varies between relatively closely spaced groups of pulses until a relatively long time gap is provided.

In another embodiment of the invention, for example, three
A normal level pulse train in which ~5 pulses are output (e.g. pulse train 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 1)
2, 13, 14) followed by a train of 20-30 pulses (e.g. 5, 14) of low level pulses 19.
6, 7) are supplied. This would have the same effect as the original device with a set of high pressure intensity pulses with short pulse-free periods. Pulse spacing is generally approx.
It is 1.0 seconds.

The actual relative levels of the pulses of the two pulse sequences are a matter of preference and are determined experimentally to obtain the best response for the particular animal being studied. Also, the normal pulse output is at a relatively low voltage level, and at random intervals of e.g. 0 to 30 pulses, the pulse strength increases to a higher level (i.e., higher voltage level) for 1 to 5 pulses. It is also possible to use switched devices. For dairy cows, the voltage of the high intensity pulses is typically virtually the same as currently used, and it is desirable not to use pulses at lower voltage levels.

The electric fence control device of the present invention is used as described above, and the method of connection to the fence and other usage requirements are virtually the same as for conventional electric fence energizing devices.

In at least a preferred embodiment of the invention,
Animals that are prone to raiding fences, despite the use of one or both of the above-mentioned devices,
It has the advantage of never knowing whether there is a shock or not, and experiments have shown that the decision to be made by the animal is not an acceptable decision for that animal to make. Livestock grazing with electric fences receive a great shock when they come into contact with the fence, and the animals soon learn to cope with the fence wires. Moreover, failure of the energizing device does not have a serious effect, simply because the animals grazing near the fence wires do not know that the device was activated. Because livestock do not appear to be able to adapt to fence wires that are pulsed in the manner described herein, the fence becomes a psychological fence even if the shock is not applied over an extended period of time. The energy input is thus reduced to very low levels and the dry battery power supply can operate for months with considerable impact. Similarly, the device can be operated at high shock levels from very small average power inputs of accumulators connected to solar or wind power units. The device is therefore particularly suitable for large tracts of land where fences are far from power sources, and also for undeveloped areas where mains power is generally not available. That is, the device could potentially provide a stronger livestock response to the fence, while increasing the battery life of the biasing device and reducing wear and tear on the biasing device itself.

The multi-fence system described here particularly offers greater economic benefits through the use of a single biasing device instead of several biasing devices for each block, and is capable of improved functionality through the use of a control device. Improvements are achieved with the small blocks of the fence, and there are also advantages, such as the strong response obtained from the intermittent pulse train described above.

Furthermore, by mixing irregular high-level pulses into low-level pulses, it becomes unpredictable for the animal, and a high-level response can be obtained.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Thus, at least the preferred forms of the invention have the following advantages: 1. The irregular pulse pattern allows the use of smaller batteries or solar panels and provides longer battery life.

2. Livestock can be maintained effectively over longer fence lengths using battery or solar power units compared to conventional units. Livestock can be maintained effectively over fence lengths comparable to mains power operated units.

3. Psychological barriers for animals are provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plot diagram of electric fence energizing output versus time (seconds) in one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a simple block diagram of the electric fence energizing device of the embodiment, and FIG. This figure is a plan view of the distribution device used in the multi-fence embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a plot diagram of the pulse output of another embodiment of the present invention. 1... Electric fence biasing device; 2... Electric fence wire; 3
...control device; 15...conductor ring; 16...insulator; 17...arc; 18...arm.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An electric fence energizing device capable of supplying pulse trains to a plurality of electric fences, characterized in that it includes a control device that supplies a pulse train of unpredictable composition to animals during use. .