WO2024055066A1 - Transmitter system and method for controlling animals - Google Patents

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for the virtual herding of animals over an expanse of land is described. The method comprises causing a first transmitter to transmit a first attracting signal having first attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the first transmitter; and causing a second transmitter to transmit a second attracting signal having second attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the second transmitter. Further transmitters can be provided on a defined path to virtually herd the animals from a start location to a destination location over the expanse of land.

Description

TRANSMITTER SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ANIMALS

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to controlling the movement of one or more animals, or herding animals over an expanse of land.

PRIORITY

[0002] This application claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No 2022902646 filed on 13 September 2022. The entire content of this document is hereby incorporated by reference.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

[0003] Aspects of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/AU2019/000156 (Publication No. WO 2020/124122) entitled “System and Method for Controlling Animals” are referred to in this specification. The entire content of this document is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

[0004] On large properties of land supporting one, two, or a herd of animals such as sheep, cows, buffalo and/or camels, it is often necessary to be able to control their movements in order to ensure that they avoid particular regions, and/or to move them from one area of the land to another area of the land, for example, for feeding or shearing. In other cases, a group of animals may need to be brought to an area for collection and loading onto vehicles for moving to another property. Such tracts of land can cover areas of hundreds of square kilometres or more.

[0005] On such expanses of land, fencing is often impractical, since the amount of space that may be required to be fenced, as well as the cost and time of upkeep of such fencing, is great. Furthermore, the management and employment costs of employing people to move the animals from one location to another on the property can also be considerable. [0006] Accordingly, it would be useful to provide an alternative system and method to manage the movement of one or more animals over a large tract of land.

SUMMARY

[0007] According to a first aspect, there is provided a method of controlling the movement of an animal, the method comprising: causing a first transmitter to transmit a first attracting signal having first attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the first transmitter; and causing a second transmitter to transmit a second attracting signal having second attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the second transmitter.

[0008] According to a second aspect, there is provided a method of controlling the movement of an animal over a path from a start location towards a destination location over an expanse of land, the method comprising: causing a first transmitter located at a first location on the path between the start location and the destination location to transmit a first attracting signal having first attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the first location; and causing a second transmitter located at a second location on the path after the first location to transmit a second attracting signal having second attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the second location.

[0009] According to a third aspect, there is provided a transmitter adapted to transmit an attracting signal to attract an animal towards the transmitter, the transmitter comprising: an attracting signal generator for generating an attracting signal that in use, attracts an animal to the transmitter; and an attracting signal transmitter for transmitting the attracting signal.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a system for controlling the movement of an animal over a path from a start location towards a destination location over an expanse of land, the system comprising: two or more transmitters according to the third aspect.

[0011] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions to cause a computer to carry out the methods of any one of the first and second aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] Embodiments of the various aspects will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0013] Figure 1 - shows an arrangement of transmitters according to one aspect;

[0014] Figure 2 A - shows an arrangement of transmitters according to another aspect;

[0015] Figure 2B - shows an arrangement of transmitters according to a further aspect;

[0016] Figure 3 - shows an embodiment of one set up for training animals to be attracted to the attracting signal;

[0017] Figure 4 - shows a general embodiment of a transmitter;

[0018] Figure 5 A - shows another general embodiment of a transmitter including a power source;

[0019] Figure 5B - shows another embodiment of a transmitter including a direction controller;

[0020] Figure 5C - shows another general embodiment of a transmitter including a data receiver;

[0021] Figure 5D - shows another general embodiment of a transmitter including an attracting signal adjuster;

[0022] Figure 6 - shows a system block diagram of a transmitter according to some embodiments;

[0023] Figure 7 - shows a system block diagram of a transmitter system according to some embodiments;

[0024] Figure 8A - shows a transmitter with a directional attracting signal generator according to some embodiments; [0025] Figure 8B - shows a transmitter with a directional attracting signal generator according to some other embodiments;

[0026] Figure 9 - shows a system block diagram of a transmitter system according to some other embodiments;

[0027] Figure 10 - shows a system block diagram of a transmitter system according to some other embodiments;

[0028] Figure 11 - shows an example of a path defined by waypoints according to some embodiments;

[0029] Figure 12 - shows an example of a path defined by waypoints according to some other embodiments;

[0030] Figure 13 - shows an example of a herding system useable for rotational grazing;

[0031] Figure 14 - shows a transmitter with a directional attracting signal generator according to some embodiments;

[0032] Figure 15 - shows an example of an attracting signal generator with attracting signal adjuster according to some embodiments;

[0033] Figure 16 - shows a system block diagram of a transmitter system according to some other embodiments;

[0034] Figure 17 - shows a system block diagram of a transmitter system according to some other embodiments;

[0035] Figure 18 - shows a system block diagram of a transmitter system according to some other embodiments;

[0036] Figure 19 - shows another embodiment of a path defined by waypoints using a combination of passive and active herding techniques; [0037] Figure 20 - shows an example of one embodiment of a transmitter;

[0038] Figure 21 - shows an example system block diagram of the transmitter of Figure 20;

[0039] Figure 22A - shows an example circuit diagram of the electronics of the transmitter of Figures 20 and 21;

[0040] Figure 22B - shows an example set up of the transmitter of Figure 20 incorporating the circuit of Figure 22A;

[0041] Figure 23A - shows an example arrangement of two transmitters B 1 and B2 over a tract of land;

[0042] Figure 23B - shows an example duty cycle for respective attracting signals transmitted by transmitters Bl and B2 of Figure 23 A;

[0043] Figure 23C - shows an example of waveforms of the respective attracting signals transmitted by transmitters B 1 and B2 of Figure 23A;

[0044] Figure 24 - shows a system block diagram of another embodiment of a system;

[0045] Figure 25 - shows a flow chart of a general method according one aspect described herein; and

[0046] Figure 26 - is a flow chart of a general method according to another aspect described herein.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0047] Figure 1 illustrates a broad aspect of controlling the movement of an animal 50 over an expanse of land 1000. In this aspect, the method comprises causing a first transmitter 100 to transmit a first attracting signal 101 having first attracting signal attributes to attract the animal 50 towards the first transmitter 100; and causing a second transmitter 100’ to transmit a second attracting signal 101’ having second attracting signal attributes to attract the animal 50 from the first transmitter 100 towards the second transmitter 100’. [0048] In some embodiments, the second transmitter 100’ begins transmitting the second attracting signal 101’ when the animal 50 has reached the location of, or a distance threshold from, the first transmitter 100. In some embodiments, the first transmitter 100 ceases to transmit the first attracting signal 101 when the animal 50 has reached the location of, or a distance threshold from, the first transmitter 100. In this way, the attracting signal is “handed over” to the second transmitter 100’ to cause the animal to continue to move towards the second transmitter 100’. In some embodiments, the first transmitter 100 reduces the amplitude of or otherwise modifies the first attracting signal 101, so as to be less attracting to the animal 50, when the animal 50 has reached the location of, or a distance threshold from, the first transmitter 100.

[0049] In a further aspect, as illustrated in Figure 2A, the method of controlling the movement of an animal 50 over a path from a start location Ls towards a destination location LD over an expanse of land 1000 is shown.

[0050] In this aspect, the method comprises causing a first transmitter 100 located at a first location LI on the path between the start location LS and the destination location LD to transmit a first attracting signal 101 having first attracting signal attributes to attract the animal 50 towards the first location; and causing a second transmitter 101’ located at a second location L2 on the path after the first location LI to transmit a second attracting signal 101’ having second attracting signal attributes to attract the animal 50 towards the second location L2.

[0051] In some embodiments, the second transmitter 100’ begins transmitting the second attracting signal 101’ when the animal 50 has reached the location of, or a distance threshold from, the first transmitter 100. In some embodiments, the first transmitter 100 ceases to transmit the first attracting signal 101 when the animal 50 has reached the location of, or a distance threshold from, the first transmitter 100. In this way, the attracting signal is “handed over” to the second transmitter 100’ to cause the animal to continue to move towards the second transmitter 100’. In some embodiments, the first transmitter 100 reduces the amplitude of or otherwise modifies the first attracting signal 101, so as to be less attracting to the animal 50, when the animal 50 has reached the location of, or a distance threshold from, the first transmitter 100.

[0052] In some embodiments, the second location L2 on which the second transmitter 100’ is located is located between the first location LI on which the first transmitter 100 is located, and the destination location LD. In some embodiments, the second location is the destination location LD. [0053] In some embodiments, at least one further transmitter 100” is provided along the path, located at a respective at least one further location Lf as shown in Figure 2B. In use, the at least one further transmitter 100” transmits a respective further attracting signal 101” having respective further attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the respective at least one further location Lf.

[0054] It will be appreciated that the arrangements and methods described above, in some embodiments, define a path P along which the animal 50 is guided by the plurality of transmitters 100 which are located at respective locations along the path, allowing the animal 50 to be drawn along the path between the Start Location LS and the Destination Location LD.

[0055] It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the animal 50 (or animals, in a herd), will be inherently attracted to the transmitter 100 upon hearing or otherwise perceiving the attracting signal. For example, in some cases, the attracting signal 101 may comprise an audio track of one or more other of the animal, which may inherently be drawn to the sound of others of its kind. In some embodiments, the attracting signal may be the sound of running water with which the animal may associate with a source of water to drink.

[0056] In some embodiments, the animal 50 (or animals, in a herd), will have been specifically trained to be attracted to the attracting signal. Many training methods may be used as appropriate. In one example, as shown in Figure 3, the training is conducted as follows:

1. Place the animals to be trained in a confined area 10 with access to ample water 11 but no feed. The space is set up with transmitters (in this case speakers) 100, and the animals are unable to see a worker prepare the feed before it is presented to the animals.

2. Select two times in the day that the animals can be fed, at least 6 hours apart.

The following instructions apply to each feeding time

3. Fill up a moveable container/wheelbarrow with enough feed to satiate the group of animals at the out of sight location.

4. Begin playing the audio stimulus through the wireless speakers (this is a high fidelity recording of the audio stimulus emitted from the sound transmitters, that is, what will be used as the attracting signal 101). 5. As the sound is playing, walk into sight of the animals with the feed, open the gate and put the feed at the feeding location/area.

6. Let the sound play for an additional 5-10 minutes as the animals are eating the food and walk with the empty container out of sight.

7. Repeat steps 3-6 for the two feeding times each day, for 4 days.

8. On day 5, play the sound without preparing any food and observe if the animals walk towards the feeding location solely due to the sound stimulus. If they do, association has successfully been built and the training can stop. If they do not come toward the feeding location, continue the training protocol and test for association at the beginning of each day until it has been built.

[0057] In some instances, there may be the need to reinforce training in a situation where the animals no longer have access to the training yards, for example, if they are in the middle of a rangeland farm. In these cases, it is possible to provide training/reinforcement remotely by having transport capable of delivering feed to the animals and playing the audio stimulus. An example of this method involves use of a vehicle with feed on the back, and a speaker playing the audio stimulus. This has been shown to reinforce the association in formerly-trained cattle in various experiments carried out by the applicant of the present application.

[0058] Once the animals have been trained to be attracted to the attracting signal, this attracting signal can be used by the transmitters 100 as previously described.

[0059] Figure 4 illustrates a general form of an embodiment of transmitter 100 that may be used in the systems and methods described herein. In a broad form there is provided a transmitter 100 adapted to transmit an attracting signal 101 to attract an animal towards the transmitter 100, the transmitter 100 comprising: an attracting signal generator 110 for generating the attracting signal 101 that in use, attracts an animal to the transmitter; and an attracting signal transmitter 120 for transmitting the attracting signal 101. In some embodiments, the attracting signal transmitter 120 is a horn or speaker. In some embodiments, the attracting signal transmitter 120 is an ariel for transmitting the attracting signal 101 as an electromagnetic signal as shown in the example of Figure 4.

[0060] In some embodiments as shown in Figure 5A, the transmitter 100 also comprises a power source 130. In some embodiments, the power source 130 is an electrical generator. In some embodiments, the power source 130 is a battery. In some embodiments, the power source 130 is provided externally and connected to the transmitter 100 such as via a power grid.

[0061] In some embodiments as shown in Figure 5B, the transmitter 100 also comprises a direction controller 140 for controlling a direction of transmission of the attracting signal. In some embodiments, the direction controller is a motor for moving the attracting signal transmitter 120.

[0062] In some embodiments, the direction controller 140 controls a series of dampeners used with an omnidirectional antenna to selectively dampen the transmitted signal in certain directions to control a transmission direction.

[0063] In some embodiments as shown in Figure 5C, the transmitter 100 also comprises a data receiver 150 for receiving data from an external source. In some embodiments, the data receiver 150 is a data port for receiving a data cable. In some embodiments, the data receiver 150 is a wireless signal receiver for receiving data transmitted remotely such as from another antenna or via a cellular telephone network, or a satellite.

[0064] In some embodiments as shown in Figure 5D, the transmitter 100 also comprises an attracting signal adjuster 160 for adjusting one or more parameters of the attracting signal. In some embodiments, the attracting signal adjuster 160 is a controller for controlling the position or state of a dampening mechanism associated with the attracting signal transmitter 120 to adjust the amplitude of the transmitted attracting signal 101. In some embodiments, the attracting signal adjuster 160 is a frequency modulator for modulating the frequency of the transmitted attracting signal 101.

[0065] It will be appreciated that one or more of the above features can be provided in any combination, including one, two, three or more, or all of them.

[0066] As set out above, one of the parameters of the attracting signal is the frequency of the attracting signal. It will be appreciated that the frequency of the audio stimulus used in the attracting signal can have a strong effect. The sound must be audible to the animals in their environment from far away (for example 1km - 10km), whilst in some embodiments and environments, being distinguishable from the audio stimulus used by emergency services in the area. [0067] As will be understood by the person skilled in the art, farming animals (e.g. cow, sheep) have hearing ranges of 23hz - 35khz and 125hz - 42.5khz respectively. Compared to humans (31hz - 19khz), these animals can hear much higher frequencies.

[0068] However, it is not always desirable to use a frequency range above human hearing as it is useful in some embodiments, for a human to determine whether the sound transmitter technology is working when activated by the user.

[0069] In some examples, an audio stimulus (attracting signal 101) can be generated with the frequency range of 600hz - 4khz, and although this high sound frequency is bordering on intolerable for human ears, it is more than tolerable for the cattle who can stand within 30cm of the sound source at full volume without being negatively affected by it.

[0070] To maximise the distance at which animals can hear the sound transmitter, and at the same time maximise the ability for the animals to determine the origin of the sound (location of the sound transmitter), the frequency of the audio stimulus used should once again be considered.

[0071] There are two main factors that determine how far sound can travel: sound absorption and sound propagation. Lower frequencies are not absorbed as well considering atmospheric pressure and humidity. Thus, lower frequencies travel further. High frequencies are more reflective off surfaces, whereas low frequencies are able to pass through objects far more easily. The sound propagation property also means that it is harder for animals to determine the origin of higher frequencies as they reflect off surfaces.

[0072] Given these properties, the animals can be trained to different frequencies based on the geographical properties of their environment. Table 1 below illustrates factors that can be considered when choosing the frequency of the audio stimulus (attracting signal 101).

TABLE 1

[0073] Another parameter of the attracting signal 101 is the audio pulse pattern, or duty cycle. That is, the length of time or ratio of transmission of the attracting signal in a given period of time.

[0074] Care needs to be taken when determining the ‘audio pulse pattern’ used by the sound transmitter. The audio stimulus must be played for long enough to activate the association in the animals, however, there are factors that prevent the sound from being continuously played such as:

• Physical properties of the equipment e.g., mechanical siren overheating.

• Power limitations of the sound transmitter.

• Danger to local fauna around the sound transmitter from prolonged audio exposure.

• Disturbance to neighbours in the area from prolonged audio exposure.

Irritation to the animals being herded causing distress over time.

[0075] In addition to this, there are limitations to how much silence that can be had between plays of the audio stimulus. For example, it was found that with cattle, having silence of 90 seconds or more between the audio stimuluses, causes confusion in the mob and prevents them from successfully being drawn to the sound transmitter or transmitter 100. Further, there is a need to play the audio stimulus more frequently in areas with many geographical obstacles, as the animals will find it more difficult to identify the origin of the sound.

[0076] It should also be noted that the audio pulse pattern will be dictated by the distance between the animals and the sound transmitter. For example, when animals are close to the transmitter a pulse pattern with short, frequent audio stimulus may be selected to ensure that the animals can locate the transmitter. Conversely, when the animals are far away, a pulse pattern with a longer audio stimulus may be selected to give the animals the best opportunity to locate the origin of the sound.

[0077] Another consideration is whether the animals are already heading towards the transmitter 100, or whether their attention must be obtained to begin heading towards the transmitter if they are engaged in another activity such as resting, grazing, drinking etc.

[0078] Table 2 below summarises different exemplary audio pulse patterns that could be used in different scenarios. The term “audio pulse pattern” is defined as an audio stimulus followed by silence. This is repeated until the animal is at the desired location.

TABLE 2

[0079] Although the sound transmitters (transmitters 100) may be used on rangeland and regional farmland with few close neighbours, in some embodiments, one may wish to ensure that the audio stimulus used cannot be confused with any audio stimulus used by emergency services.

[0080] The two main identifying factors of an emergency service audio sound are the period of the audio pulse pattern and the frequency range of the sound used. In experiments conducted by the Applicant, pulse patterns were selected and mechanical sirens with frequency ranges that were very different to those used by emergency services were used. Table 3 below shows some examples of the period of sound used in the present application (referred to as “Robovine” in the table below), and compared with those of various emergency service systems around the world.

TABLE 3

[0081] Table 4 shows some examples of the frequency ranges used in the present application (referred to as “Robovine”), and compared with those of various emergency service systems.

TABLE 4

[0082] In some embodiments, the audio stimulus or attracting signal 101 can be manually triggered via remote control or can be triggered automatically due to one or more programmable parameters being calculated by a processing system as will be described in more detail below. Some examples of automatic triggering include:

• The animal’s location as read by a wearable location monitoring device, is sent to the same network that the transmitter is connected to, which is then sent to the transmitter. The distance to the animals is then calculated as the system processor is aware of the transmitter’s location. If the distance is equal to or less than the specified distance programmed by the user, the audio stimulus/ attracting signal is activated. If the distance is outside the specified distance, nothing happens. There is also the possibility in this scenario for the transmitter to be communicating directly with the wearable location monitoring device on the animals.

• The transmitter or the transmitter’s surrounding is rigged with cameras or other sensors that detect the presence of animals. These cameras or sensors are strategically placed by the user at the distance which the user wants to begin drawing the animals to the transmitter. When the cameras or sensors register the animal’s presence, a signal is sent to the network which is connected to the transmitter, which is processed by the system processor and the audio stimulus is played.

• The transmitter is rigged to activate the audio stimulus based on a duration of time. The transmitter can have an internal clock which provides time data to the system processor. The user can program the desired time parameters which are compared to the actual time by the system processor. The audio stimulus is then activated when the specified time duration has been met.

[0083] The transmitter’s processing system can potentially be programmed manually using information transfer via cable input. It is also possible that the processing system can be programmed locally by connecting to a wireless system that can communicate with the transmitter. In some embodiments, the transmitter can be connected to the internet, and therefore can update the programmable parameters remotely via a user interface.

[0084] The transmitter may be powered via its own sustainable power source such as solar panels charging a battery, or it may be powered by connecting to the electricity grid.

[0085] In some embodiments, the transmitter may be connected to a water or food source for the animals. This is to provide continual reinforcement to the animals as they will be rewarded with food or water as they reach the sound transmitter. It is also possible that the transmitter may have its own automated food source that dispenses food when the animals have reached it.

[0086] At the most simplistic level, the sound transmitter can emit sound at specified times throughout the day.

[0087] Figure 6 shows a general embodiment of transmitter 100 as a sound transmitter. In this embodiment, transmitter 100 has an audio source as the attracting signal generator 110 for generating the attracting signal 101. Audio source 110 is controlled by processor 180 with clock 185. Network receiver, remote control receiver and data input all provide data receiver 150, and power source 130 is provided by a combination of input renewable power source 130a or power grid 130b via power input 130c.

[0088] Figure 7 shows another embodiment of a system 500 including transmitter 100 with external devices or elements. Such external devices or peripherals may be used to provide data to the transmitter 100 for use in controlling, modifying and generating the attracting signal 101 as set out above.

[0089] In particular, camera(s) 175 provide one means of determining the presence and/or location of the animal(s) 50 to be herded. In some embodiments, the animal(s) can also be wearing electronic devices 800 which can be used to determine each animal’s location using technologies such as GPS or other location technologies as set out in PCT Patent Application No. PCT/AU2019/000156 previously incorporated by reference.

[0090] Also possible in some embodiments are user interface 520 which allow a user to remotely access or otherwise operate the transmitter and/or system 500 such as for uploading instructions for the processor 180 and/or audio source 110, and remote controller 510 for allowing the user to remotely operate the transmitter 100.

[0091] All these peripherals can be connected to the transmitter via network infrastructure 550 which can include a telecommunications network and/or internet network.

[0092] In some aspects, there is the ability to directionally target the audio stimulus. As set out previously, sound is very directional and subject to reflection and absorption by its surroundings. In order to ensure that the audio stimulus is being heard by the animals, in some embodiments, the beacon/transmitter 100 is able to direct the sound towards them, in accordance with their location.

[0093] There are multiple ways that the sound beacon/transmitter 100 can directionally target animals. One method is having a 360-degree array of attracting signal transmitters 120 (for example, 4 sirens disposed orthogonally to each other in a plane), and only turning on the relevant quadrant in reference to the animals’ position. Another method is having attracting signal transmitters 120 that can swivel so that they are pointing directly at the animal’s position (for example determined via GPS, via a visual identification using cameras, or by other location means such as cellular location techniques). A further method involves using an omnidirectional audio source that can emit sound in 360 degrees. There is also the possibility of this being a manual process whereby a user observes the animals’ position and swivels the sound sources toward the animals.

[0094] Figures 8A and 8B show an example of a transmitter 100 with attracting signal transmitter 120 (in this example, provided by an audio siren), and a direction controller 140 (in this case provided by a motor operationally connected to the siren 120 to direct the siren 120 in accordance with motor control instructions determined according to an animal’s location with respect to transmitter 100).

[0095] In other embodiments, use of a phased array with shutters that open and close can be made. This technology can be used to create precise directionality by opening the shutters based on the desired directionality of the sound.

[0096] Figures 9 and 10 show systems diagram of a system 500, incorporating elements for providing directional transmission of the attracting signal 101. Common elements with Figure 7 are numbered accordingly. As can be seen in Figure 9, direction controller 140 is provided by a rotating base, to which attracting signal transmitter 120 is operationally connected.

[0097] In the system 500 of Figure 10, multiple attracting signal transmitters 120, 120’, 120” ... associated with audio sources 110, 110’ ,110” . . . , are provided, which are oriented at different directions and which may be selectively activated according to the desired direction of propagation of the attracting signal 101.

[0098] As previously set out, two or more transmitters 100 may be located in the expanse of land 1000 so as to define a path P over which the animals can be guided from one location to another.

[0099] By placing the sound beacon/transmitter 100 at waypoints WP defined by the route or path along which the animals are to be herded, areas of land around that waypoint WP can be defined or utilised according to known animal behaviour.

[00100] For example, generally, cattle will not walk more than 4km away from a known water source. Further, cattle will not walk through certain geographical topography such as rocks or dense forest land. However, by placing the sound beacons or transmitters 100 at water points along the route or path, the animals will learn to associate the sound stimulus with a water source and will then choose to override their instinct of turning back after 4km due to the certainty of water in the future.

[00101] Using the above considerations, these ‘passive draw in areas’ can be defined along the herding route or path. This can greatly reduce power used by the device by not needing to transmit as high an amplitude of the attracting signal, thereby reducing power consumption, as the cattle are being drawn in. [00102] In other embodiments, in some areas, there may be greater resistance by the animals to move through a certain path and additional measures are required to herd the animals through certain terrain. In these cases, use of haptic stimulation applied directly to the animals can be made. Methods, apparatus and systems for use in this aspect are detailed in PCT Patent Application No.

PCT/AU2019/000156 (Publication No. WO 2020/124122) entitled “System and Method for Controlling Animals” previously incorporated by reference in its entirety. In some embodiments, the beacon/transmitter 100 is equated to the reference in the incorporated patent application, and the “draw in area” can be equated to the desired region of the incorporated patent application.

[00103] It will be appreciated that the passive methods of the beacon/transmitter 100 of the present application, and the active methods of the incorporated application, can be used in combination to achieve an optimum result. It will be appreciated that the active haptic method consumes more power than the passive method, and so an optimal combination strategy can be implemented, combining the passive “draw in areas” (e.g. strategically placing water sources along the path), the use of the sound beacon/transmitters 100, and the active haptic methods, to minimise the power requirements of the overall system, while still benefitting from the advantages of all the methods and systems.

[00104] Figure 11 shows an example of a path P designed over an expanse of land 1000 showing the different possible herding strategies. In particular, the path is designed to herd the animals from a Start Location to an End or Destination Location. In an embodiment of the active haptic method, it will be appreciated that active haptic stimulation would need to be applied to the animals along the entire path from start to end as indicated by the dotted line (H_x). It will be appreciated that this results in a high power consumption for the system, and in particular, the individual stimulator devices worn by the individual animals.

[00105] However, using a combination of strategies as described herein, the more power-intensive haptic method can be minimised and replaced at certain parts along the path with less power-intensive techniques. In the arrangement of Figure 11, to first attract the animals from the Start Location toward the first waypoint WP1, use of the active haptic method is made to first attract the animals from the Start Location to the beginning of the passive draw in area Al over the line HL When the animals reach the first draw-in area Al, the haptic system can be turned off and replaced by the more passive method of the sound beacon/transmitter 100 which transmits the attracting signal to draw the animals in along the path SI. It will be appreciated that the path Hl/haptic method may be used where the herd is out of range of the transmitter 100 and/or the topography of the land is more challenging to the animal to traverse and so needs a more direct herding approach. However, once the herd is within range of the transmitter 100 to be able to perceive the attracting signal and/or the land characteristics are more conducive, and provide less resistance to the herd traversing it, then the techniques can be switched, and the more power-hungry haptic system can be turned off to be taken over by the transmitter method.

[00106] In some embodiments, a source of water W1 can be placed in the path between the Start Location and the first way point WPl/transmitter 100 to provide a further attracting incentive to the animals as well as to ensure that the herd is kept sufficiently hydrated throughout the journey.

[00107] As described above, in some embodiments, as the herd gets closer to the transmitter 100, the amplitude and/or one or more other characteristics of the attracting signal 101 can be modified, such as reducing the amplitude of the attracting signal. This further reduces power consumption, as well as ensures that the attracting signal is not too loud for the animals at close proximity.

[00108] In some embodiments, once the animals have reached way point 1 WP1, transmitter 100 ceases transmitting the attracting signal 101, and the haptic technique is re-instigated along path H2, to begin herding the animals towards way point 2 WP2 and the second transmitter 100’. Again when the herd reaches the passive draw-in area A2, the haptic system is turned off and is taken over by the passive sound beacon/transmitter 100” transmitting attracting signal S2.

[00109] This process continues through the remaining way point WP3 and up to the end or Destination Location, at which point the animals have reached the end of their journey.

[00110] Figure 12 shows another embodiment of a path P along the stretch of land 1000 from start to end/destination locations. In this example, the passive draw in areas Al, A2, A3 and A4 overlap, and so there is less, or no, need for the active haptic technique to be utilised, and only the sound beacons/transmitters 100, 100’, 100” and 100”’ are required. The same process as described above with reference to Figure 11 and the use of the sound beacons/transmitters is carried out, until the herd has reached the destination location.

[00111] In other aspects, the systems and methods described can be used to implement a rotational grazing protocol. Rotational grazing is a method of pasture management that increases the stocking rates of land through putting grazing animals in specific areas based on the timing of plant growth cycles in the area. Typical grazing often results in certain areas of land being over-grazed by the animals, resulting in poor topsoil and degraded root systems of the grass. By moving the animals from a grazed area when the pasture is not completely eaten, the root system can regenerate which results in more pasture and carbon sequestration in the soil.

[00112] Traditional rotational grazing is done by fencing the land into paddocks, and manually moving the animals from paddock to paddock through traditional mustering methods. Using sound beacons can help to automate this process by having, in some embodiments, the beacons located in a matrix array over the land and drawing the animals to a specific area based on the growth of the pasture. This also allows for minimal to no fencing, decreasing infrastructure and labour costs.

[00113] Figure 13 shows an example of an array of beacons/transmitters 100 arranged over an expanse of land 1000 to implement the rotational grazing protocol. The arrangement consists of a matrix of grazing paddocks Gl, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7, G8 and G9. At the centre of each grazing paddock is a respective beacon or transmitter 100, 100’, 100”, 100’”, 100””, 100’ ””, 100”””, 100’””” and 100””””. Each transmitter defines a respective draw in area Al, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A 8 and A9 within which animals in that area will be drawn towards the respective transmitter. In one example, the defined area has a radius of about 3km, which is effectively the distance that the attracting signal 101 propagates from the transmitter 100.

[00114] As in the methods described above, if the animals begin in the first grazing area Gl, they are allowed to graze up to the appropriate amount. During this time, beacon or transmitter 100 transmits its attracting signal 101. When it is deemed to be time to herd the animals from grazing pasture area Gl, transmitter 100 reduces or ceases its transmission of its attracting signal 101 and transmitter 101’ begins to transmit its attracting signal 101’, effectively defining the passive draw in area A2 and attracting the herd towards the transmitter 101’ into the grazing area G2. In some embodiments, if some of the animals in the herd are outside of the passive draw in area A2 (for example located at the far end of the grazing pasture are Gl, then use of the haptic system can be made to herd those animals towards the new passive draw in area A2 to be then attracted by the transmitter 100’. Where the animals are in the overlap region as seen in Figure 13 of the passive draw in areas Al and A2, they will be drawn towards transmitter 101’ when it begins to transmit attracting signal 101’ and transmitter 100 ceases to transmit its attracting signal 101.

[00115] In some embodiments, the overlap between adjacent passive draw in areas can be increased by increasing the range of the respective attracting signal so as to minimise the need for the active haptic methods, thus reducing power consumption. In these embodiments, once all the animals are within the desired passive draw-in area, the range of the attracting signal can be progressively reduced as the animals move closer to the desired grazing pasture area until most if not all animals are within the desired area.

[00116] This process is repeated until all of the grazing pasture areas have been grazed on, by which time, the first grazing area Al may be ready again for grazing, and the entire process cycles through again.

[00117] In some embodiments, the arrangement may be used to facilitate strip grazing. By placing the transmitters/beacons 100 along horizontal or vertical strips across the land, the animals can be moved frequently from strip to strip.

[00118] In some embodiments, use of other attracting elements may be made to enhance the effectiveness of attracting the animals to the transmitter. Animals are very visual learners and tend to build associations using some sort of visual/identification cue. Although success has been found in herding cattle towards sound beacons without anything other than the beacon as a visual aid, in some cases, there may be scenarios where a further visual/identification aid is useful in guiding the animals toward the sound beacon/transmitter 100. This could be due to lack of sunlight, dense shrub land and other geographical obstacles, or animal temper ament/gener al confusion.

[00119] In some embodiments, the construction of the sound beacon/transmitter 100 can act as a visual aid using highly visual paint, markings and materials in the construction of the beacon. For example, colours that are not found in nature such as fluorescent pinks and oranges can be used to paint the beacon.

[00120] There is also the possibility of using a system whereby an identifier is triggered on the sound beacon/transmitter 100 when the animals are within a certain distance of it. This system could be triggered manually by a user who is observing the cattle, or automatically using visual data from cameras or real time data of the animals’ location from a wearable device. This visual/identification aid could be but is not limited to lighting, sound, vibration or smell.

[00121] Figure 14 shows an example of such a system, where like elements to those of previous system figures are numbered accordingly. In this embodiment, there is also provided additional attracting elements including identifier light 190, identifier audio source 191 and identifier haptic motor 192. Example of identifier audio source 191 include sounds that the animals are naturally conditioned to attract to, such as feeding equipment noises (e.g. ute, tractor), and/or noises of an animal herd (e.g. a group of cattle mooing, a group of sheep bleating).

[00122] An example of identifier haptic motor 192 is a pneumatic hammer that hammers the ground in a specific pattern to send vibrations through the ground that are sensed and recognised by the animals as another attracting signal.

[00123] As previously described, there is provided in some embodiments, the feature of modifying one or more parameters of the attracting signal 101, such as the amplitude of the transmitted attracting signal, to provide the ability to reduce and increase the amplitude of the audio stimulus in relation to the distance between itself and the target animals. When the target animals are further away, there is a need to increase the amplitude so the sound stimulus can be heard by the animals. If that same amplitude were used when the animals are half or a third of the distance away, it could be too loud and become a deterrent for the animals.

[00124] There are multiple mechanical ways of increasing and decreasing the amplitude of the audio stimulus. These are heavily dependent on the audio output device used as illustrated by the below examples:

• If a speaker is used as the output device, a built-in amplifier or pre-amplifier can be used to change the amplitude of the audio stimulus.

• If speakers or a mechanical siren is used, a stacked array of them can be built so that only a few or all in the array can be activated. This drastically changes the sound output/amplitude generated as outlined by two examples in the tables below.

• If a speaker, mechanical siren, or piezo is used, a horn with a dampener can be placed in front of it, and the dampener can be open or closed to an amount between 0% - 100% which would change the amplitude.

A combination of the above can be used in different circumstances.

[00125] For example, an array of speakers such as the “Federal Siren Electronic Speaker Array” can generate amplitude variations as shown in Table 5 below. TABLE 5

[00126] In other embodiments, an array using the “Federal Signal Modulator Series B Speaker Arrays” can produce the following effects as shown in Table 6 below.

TABLE 6

[00127] Figure 15 shows an example of one means of modifying the amplitude of attracting signal 101 by use of attracting signal adjuster 160 provided by mechanical dampeners 193. In this example, the dampeners 193 are controlled so as to vary the degree of “openness” of the aperture covered by the blades. A fully open state will provide maximum amplitude and a fully closed state will provide maximum damping of the amplitude. In-between states will result in correspondingly intermediate amplitudes.

[00128] When drawing a herd of animals to the beacon/transmitter 100, there is also the possibility that the herd is split whilst being drawn with some animals at the front of the herd, sometimes hundreds of metres ahead of the ones at the back. In these cases use can be made of an amplitude that is not harmful to those at the front of the herd, which does not necessarily have to be heard by the ones at the back as they will be led to the sound beacon/transmitter 100 by the others.

[00129] In such cases, the sound beacon/transmitter 100 can adapt the amplitude of the attracting signal 100 according to a knowledge of the precise location of the closest target animals to it. The same data and methods outlined in the targeted directional sound can be used to calculate the relative distance from the target animals to the sound.

[00130] This information can then be used by the system processor to calculate the desired amplitude as generated by the mechanical methods outlined above.

[00131] Another way in which the volume/amplitude of the attracting signal 101 can be dampened is to place the audio source at a height that is much greater than the target animals so that the amplitude decreases as the animals approach the base of the sound beacon. In this embodiment, the attracting signal transmitter 120 (e.g. siren) can be mounted to an extendable pole whose height can be dynamically varied according to the proximity of the closest animals and according to the desired volume at that location.

[00132] Figure 16 shows a system block diagram with elements used to adjust or modify the amplitude of the attracting signal. In this figure, like elements to those of previous system figures are numbered accordingly, with the addition of the attracting signal adjuster 160 being provided by a preamplifier which drives the attracting signal transmitter 120 (e.g. a speaker in this case).

[00133] Figure 17 shows an alternative arrangement to that of Figure 16 in which the attracting signal transmitter 120 is provided by a stacked siren/speaker array, which are dynamically selected so as to produce and transmit an attracting signal 101 of desired amplitude/volume as previously described.

[00134] Another reason to be able to adjust one or more parameters of the attracting signal 101 is so as to protect local wildlife in the area from being harmed by loud noise. If an animal is in front of the audio source, or on the beacon when the sound goes off, there is a chance that they would be harmed. This area is referred to as the ‘danger zone’.

[00135] The danger zone can be defined by calculating the sound output rating at (for example) 100 feet (about 30.5m) of the sound beacon/transmitter 100 when the loudest audio stimulus is played. This number can then be used to define a radius around the beacon of a distance that corresponds with a sound output rating that is deemed harmful to the local wildlife in the area.

[00136] To keep the danger zone free of wildlife, different types of stimuli can be used to scare away local wildlife from the beacon/transmitter 100 before the loud audio stimulus is played. Examples of different types of stimuli are provided below:

• Put bird deterrent spikes on the beacon so local birds cannot perch on it and won’t be harmed by the audio stimulus when it goes off.

• Have a warmup noise that is played before the louder audio stimulus that is designed to scare away wildlife in line of the audio source. This warmup noise can be something that the animals are frightened of such as a gunshot, or human voice.

• Generate a loud, low frequency ‘rumbier’ noise from a subwoofer located at the base of the beacon/transmitter 100. The low frequency combined with the vibration will scare away any wildlife before the large audio stimulus is played.

• Have the audio stimulus increase in volume to the desired level over a specified time duration. As the audio increases in volume, the surrounding wildlife are frightened away before it gets to a level that damages them.

[00137] In some embodiments, a combination of two or more of the techniques set out above can be used.

[00138] This process can either by manually activated by the user if observing the beacon/transmitter 100 and wildlife is noticed in the danger zone, or it can be automated to go off every time before the audio is played. Further, to help conserve power, this process can also be automatically triggered only when there are animals detected in the danger zone. This detection can be done using visual data from cameras, data from lasers, proximity or movement sensors, pressure sensors, or data from any other relevant data recording device.

[00139] Having the audio output device at a great height, means that even if wildlife/target animals are at the base of the sound beacon as it is playing a loud audio stimulus, the risk of harm to these animals is minimised. Additionally, having height to the sound beacon also helps with increasing the amplitude of the audio stimulus at further distances.

[00140] Figure 18 shows a system block diagram with elements incorporating the wildlife safety technology described above. In this figure, like elements to those of previous system figures are numbered accordingly, with the addition of the deterrent audio source 194 and deterrent subwoofer 195.

[00141] As described previously in relation to Figure 11, the methods and systems of the present application can be combined with various aspects of the incorporated patent application (PCT Patent Application No. PCT/AU2019/000156). Figure 19 illustrates an example of combining several techniques, including the concept of the “steering region” and the “shunt line”. By placing the beacons/transmitters 100, 100’ and 100’ at the waypoints WPi, WPi+1 and WPi+2 respectively described in the incorporated application, the animals can be more efficiently herded along the predetermined route by not having to use the wearable device 800 to control them when they enter areas defined by (A_p) (i.e. the draw in areas).

[00142] Further, the locations of the beacons and (A_p) will be known by the algorithm in the wearable device 800, helping to determine appropriate calculations of steering and acceptable regions with reference to (A_p).

[00143] In Figure 20, there is shown an example of the beacon/transmitter 100 according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, transmitter 100 comprises a pole 102 on which is mounted attracting signal transmitter (siren) 120, and a box 105 housing the various electronics and systems previously described with reference to Figures 4 to 7, 9, 10 and 14 to 18. The pole 102 may be supported by a number of means, including by a base 103 as shown in this example, or may be partially embedded within the ground.

[00144] Figure 21 shows an example system block diagram of an embodiment of the beacon/transmitter 100 of Figure 20.

[00145] In this example, the power source is provided by two 18V Li-on rechargeable pluggable batteries 130, 130’, fed into a DC-DC Buck Converter 130d, providing the system with a 12V de, 20A power supply. [00146] The receiver portion 150 is provided by a 2-channel 433MHz Relay Output Receiver controlled by a 2 channel 433MHz Long Range Remote Control device 150a. The two channels are processed by the processor and output to control respective motorised siren (120,140) (CHI) and the rotating light beacon 190) (CH2).

[00147] Figures 22A shows an example of a circuit layout of the arrangement of Figures 20 and 21. In Figure 22A, the batteries 130, 130’ are provided by two Milwaukee M18 18V 6Ah battery packs and docks, fed into a 300W DC-DC Buck converter Model SZBK07, based on LM25116 IC. The relay switch is provided by a 4 Channel Electronic relay Switch 12v-48vDC 30A 433Mhz model provided by Fubu Australia Pty Ltd.

[00148] A 433Mhz external antenna is provided to receive radio signal and provide them to the SMA antenna cable input of the Relay Switch. In this embodiment, the enclosure within which the circuitry is enclosed in an enclosure 60 (itself enclosed within box 105) provided by a BoxCo BC-AGP253515 model.

[00149] Figure 22B shows the set-up of the transmitter of Figure 20 using the components of Figures 21 and 22A. In this embodiment, two sirens 120, 120’ are mounted to the top of pole 102 and electrically connected to the circuitry of Figure 22A encased in enclosure 60.

[00150] Figures 23A, 23B and 23C show an example arrangement of two transmitters 100, 100’, designated as Bl and B2 respectively, defining a path along a stretch of land. The path is divided into two sections, the first, between a start location and the first transmitter B 1 of about 2km long, and the second, from Bl to the second transmitter B2 of about 6km long.

[00151] As set out above, to move the animals from the start location to the end or destination location, the animals are first caused to move towards first transmitter Bl, by causing Bl to transmit its attracting signal towards the animals.

[00152] Figure 23B shows an example duty cycle of the attracting signal transmitted by Bl with an Off duration of about 60 seconds and an ON duration of about 15 seconds in this example.

[00153] Figure 23C shows an example waveform for this attracting signal transmitted by Bl, being in this example, a sinusoidal wave of frequency about 700Hz and amplitude of about 125db. [00154] Once the animals have reached the position of Bl, second transmitter B2 takes over and emits its attracting signal to draw the animals from Bl to the end location at B2. Figure 23B shows an example duty cycle of this signal, in this embodiment having an OFF period of about 60 seconds and ON period of about 40 seconds. It will be appreciated that since the distance between Bl and B2 is longer than that between the start location and Bl, a different signal regime is used to accommodate for this longer distance. For example, the ON period of the B2 signal is greater than the ON period of the B 1 signal to ensure that the animals have sufficient time to hear and determine the bearing of the B2 signal.

[00155] Figure 23C shows an example waveform of the B2 signal. In this embodiment, the signal is also a sinusoidal signal, with a frequency of about 500Hz, but has a differentiated amplitude conforming to the approximate location of the animals along the path between Bl and B2. Specifically, in this example, when the animals are starting along the path towards B2, and thus about 6km away from transmitter B2, the attracting signal needs to be louder so that the animals can hear it. In this example, the amplitude is about 200dB. As the animals get closer to the second transmitter B2 (for example about 3km away) and thus the loudness of the sound as perceived by the animals, the amplitude of the sound is reduced to about, in this example, 125dB. This both saves power in the transmitter B2, as well as reduces the risk of damaging the animals’ hearing due to excessive loudness of the attracting signal.

[00156] Other parameters of the attracting signal from B2 can also change, including its frequency and duty cycle as the animals get closer to B2. For example, once the animals are about 2km away, the attracting signal transmitted by B2 can exhibit the same characteristics as that transmitted by transmitter Bl.

[00157] Figure 24 shows a system block diagram of another embodiment of the system 500. In this embodiment, power 130 to the system 500 is provided by a 24V 120W solar panel (or array of panels), which feeds into a 30A solar charge controller 130e, which charges a Li-on storage battery 130f.

[00158] The battery power is fed to two DC -DC Buck converters 130d-l and 130d-2, being 24V- 12Vdc 20A and a 12V to 5Vdc 5A respectively. The 5Vdc 5A converter provides power to a LTE/WiFi Gateway Module 150a of data receiver 150, which receives remote data over network infrastructure 550 (LTE/3G network 550a and/or WiFi network 550b) to receive user interface control data from cloud control WebApp 550a- 1 and/or local client devise 550b- 1. [00159] In this embodiment, the 5Vdc 5A converter also provides power to a Raspberry Pi system processor 180, as well as relay driver 109a driving light beacon 190 acting as an attracting signal transmitter 100, and to Audio Amplifier 121 driving speaker 120 also providing an attracting signal transmitter in this embodiment.

[00160] Also providing an input to system processor 180 is GPS receiver module 150b forming part of the data receiving block 150, which itself receives data from a LORA RF transceiver module interfacing with a LoRa network. The LoRa network receives communications from individual animal wearable tags 800, 800’ as previously described and as set out in more detail in

PCT/AU2019/000156 previously incorporated by reference. The GPS functionality enables the system to determine the location of the animals and control and adjust elements of the transmission signal such as type, direction, amplitude, frequency and duty cycle accordingly as previously described.

[00161] Figure 25 shows a flowchart of a method 200 of a general aspect described herein. The method 200 is a method of controlling the movement of an animal over an expanse of land, the method comprising, at step 201, causing a first transmitter to transmit a first attracting signal having first attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the first transmitter; and at step 202, causing a second transmitter to transmit a second attracting signal having second attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the second transmitter.

[00162] Figure 26 shows a flowchart of another method 300 of a general aspect described herein. The method 300 is a method of controlling the movement of an animal over a path from a start location towards a destination location over an expanse of land, the method comprising, at step 301, causing a first transmitter located at a first location on the path between the start location and the destination location to transmit a first attracting signal having first attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the first location; and, at step 302, causing a second transmitter located at a second location on the path after the first location to transmit a second attracting signal having second attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the second location.

[00163] Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof. [00164] Those of skill in the art would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software or instructions, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

[00165] The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. For a hardware implementation, processing may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. Software modules, also known as computer programs, computer codes, or instructions, may contain a number of source code or object code segments or instructions, and may reside in any computer readable medium such as a RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a Blu-ray disc, or any other form of computer readable medium. In some aspects the computer-readable media may comprise non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., tangible media). In addition, for other aspects computer-readable media may comprise transitory computer- readable media (e.g., a signal). Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. In another aspect, the computer readable medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the computer readable medium may reside in an ASIC or related device. The software codes may be stored in a memory unit and the processor may be configured to execute them. The memory unit may be implemented within the processor or external to the processor, in which case it can be communicatively coupled to the processor via various means as is known in the art.

[00166] In a broad aspect then, there is provided a computer readable medium containing instructions to cause the computer to perform the steps of any one or more of the methods described herein.

[00167] Further, it should be appreciated that modules and/or other appropriate means for performing the methods and techniques described herein can be downloaded and/or otherwise obtained by computing device. For example, such a device can be coupled to a server to facilitate the transfer of means for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, various methods described herein can be provided via storage means (e.g., RAM, ROM, a physical storage medium such as a compact disc (CD) or floppy disk, etc.), such that a computing device can obtain the various methods upon coupling or providing the storage means to the device. Moreover, any other suitable technique for providing the methods and techniques described herein to a device can be utilized.

[00168] In one form the invention may comprise a computer program product for performing the method or operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may comprise a computer (or processor) readable medium having instructions stored (and/or encoded) thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein. For certain aspects, the computer program product may include packaging material.

[00169] The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or actions for achieving the described method. The method steps and/or actions may be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is specified, the order and/or use of specific steps and/or actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.

[00170] As used herein, the term “determining” encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, “determining” may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, a database or another data structure), ascertaining and the like. Also, “determining” may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory) and the like. Also, “determining” may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing and the like.

[00171] The system may be a computer implemented system comprising of a display device, a processor and a memory and an input device. The memory may comprise instructions to cause the processor to execute a method described herein. The processor memory and display device may be included in a standard computing device, such as a desktop computer, a portable computing device such as a laptop computer or tablet, or they may be included in a customised device or system. The computing device may be a unitary computing or programmable device, or a distributed device comprising several components operatively (or functionally) connected via wired or wireless connections.

[00172] Any Input/Output Interface used may comprise a network interface and/or communications module for communicating with an equivalent communications module in another device using a predefined communications protocol (e.g. Bluetooth, ZigBee, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.11, TCP/IP, UDP, etc). A graphical processing unit (GPU) may also be included. The display apparatus may comprise a flat screen display (e.g. LCD, LED, plasma, touch screen, etc), a projector, CRT, etc. The computing device may comprise a single CPU (core) or multiple CPU’s (multiple core), or multiple processors. The computing device may use a parallel processor, a vector processor, or be a distributed computing device. The memory is operatively coupled to the processor(s) and may comprise RAM and ROM components, and may be provided within or external to the device. The memory may be used to store the operating system and additional software modules or instructions. The processor(s) may be configured to load and executed the software modules or instructions stored in the memory.

[00173] Throughout the specification and the claims that follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the words “comprise” and “include” and variations such as “comprising” and “including” will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers, but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

[00174] The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement of any form of suggestion that such prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

[00175] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted in its use to the particular application described. Neither is the present invention restricted in its preferred embodiment with regard to the particular elements and/or features described or depicted herein. It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the movement of an animal over an expanse of land, the method comprising: causing a first transmitter to transmit a first attracting signal having first attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the first transmitter; and causing a second transmitter to transmit a second attracting signal having second attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the second transmitter.

2. A method of controlling the movement of an animal over a path from a start location towards a destination location over an expanse of land, the method comprising: causing a first transmitter located at a first location on the path between the start location and the destination location to transmit a first attracting signal having first attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the first location; and causing a second transmitter located at a second location on the path after the first location to transmit a second attracting signal having second attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the second location.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the second location is the destination location.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 further comprising causing at least one further transmitter located at a respective at least one further location on the path between the second transmitter and the destination location to transmit a respective further attracting signal having respective further attracting signal attributes to attract the animal towards the respective at least one further location.

5. A method as claimed in any one of claims 2 or 3 wherein the first attracting signal attributes and the second attracting signal attributes are the same.

6. A method as claimed in any one of claims 2 or 3 wherein the first attracting signal attributes and the second attracting signal attributes are different. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein all of the first attracting signal attributes, the second attracting signal attributes and the respective further attracting signal attributes are the same. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein at least two of the first attracting signal attributes, the second attracting signal attributes and the respective further attracting signal attributes are different. A method as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 7 wherein one or more of the first attracting signal attributes, the second attracting signal attributes and the respective further attracting signal attributes comprises two or more of amplitude, frequency, phase, duty cycle, colour, scent and/or ground vibration. A method as claimed in claim 9 further comprising adjusting the frequency of one or more of the first attracting signal, the second attracting signal and the respective further attracting signal according to a distance of the animal from the respective first transmitter, second transmitter and/or further transmitter. A method as claimed in any one of claims 9 or 10 comprising adjusting the frequency of one or more of the first attracting signal, the second attracting signal and the respective further attracting signal according to one or more characteristics of the environment between the animal and the respective first transmitter, second transmitter and/or further transmitter. A method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11 wherein the one or more characteristics of the environment comprises the presence of flora and/or rocks and/or other reflective surfaces and/or the presence of fauna and/or machinery emitting sound. A method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12 further comprising adjusting the duty cycle of one or more of the first attracting signal, the second attracting signal and the respective further attracting signal according to distance of the animal from the respective first transmitter, second transmitter and/or further transmitter and/or behavior of the animal. A method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12 comprising adjusting the duty cycle of one or more of the first attracting signal, the second attracting signal and the respective further attracting signal according to the environment of the path on which the animal must travel. A method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12 comprising adjusting the duty cycle of one or more of the first attracting signal, the second attracting signal and the respective further attracting signal according to power requirements of the respective first transmitter, second transmitter and/or further transmitter. A method as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 15 comprising adjusting the amplitude of one or more of the first attracting signal, the second attracting signal and the respective further attracting signal according to one or more characteristics of the environment between the animal and the respective first transmitter, second transmitter and/or further transmitter. A method as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 16 comprising adjusting the amplitude of one or more of the first attracting signal, the second attracting signal and the respective further attracting signal according to the distance between the animal and the respective first transmitter, second transmitter and/or further transmitter. A method as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 17 comprising directing the one or more of the first attracting signal, the second attracting signal and the respective further attracting signal according to a location of the animal. A method as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 18 comprising causing any one or more of the first transmitter, second transmitter and/or further transmitter to begin transmitting the respective attracting signal when the animal is at a location on the path directly preceding the location of the transmitter. A method as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 19 comprising causing any one or more of the first transmitter, second transmitter and/or further transmitter to cease transmitting the respective attracting signal when the animal is at the location of the respective one or more of the first transmitter, second transmitter and/or further transmitter. A method as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 20 further comprising controlling the movement of the animal using a device connected to the animal for generating and applying stimulus signals to the animal. A method as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 21 further comprising causing any one or more of the first transmitter, second transmitter and/or further transmitter to transmitting a repelling signal to repel an undesirable animal, different to the animal, prior to transmitting the attracting signal. A transmitter adapted to transmit an attracting signal to attract an animal towards the transmitter, the transmitter comprising: an attracting signal generator for generating an attracting signal that in use, attracts an animal to the transmitter; and an attracting signal transmitter for transmitting the attracting signal. A transmitter as claimed in claim 23 further comprising a power source. A transmitter as claimed in any one of claims 23 or 24 further comprising a direction controller for controlling a direction of transmission of the attracting signal. A transmitter as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 25 further comprising a data receiver for receiving data from an external source. A transmitter as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 26 further comprising an attracting signal adjuster for adjusting one or more parameters of the attracting signal. A system for controlling the movement of an animal over a path from a start location towards a destination location over an expanse of land, the system comprising: two or more transmitters as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 27. A system as claimed in claim 28 further comprising an animal location determinator for determining the location of the animal. A system as claimed in any one of claims 28 or 29 further comprising a device connected to the animal for generating and applying stimulus signals to the animal. A system as claimed in claim 28 further comprising a central processor for controlling the two or more transmitters in accordance with the method of any one of claims 2 to 22.

32. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions to cause a computer to carry out the methods of any one of claims 1 to 22.