Patent Application
20210274748
The present invention relates to animal husbandry and rearing, breeding, and raising of animals for meat, fiber, eggs, milk and other food products. It further relates to the responsible, sustainable, and healthy husbandry of animals while protecting them from predators and disease.
The goal with animal husbandry is to rear, breed, and raise animals for meat, fiber, eggs, milk, and other food products. Instrumental to this endeavor is providing animals with sufficient food, water, and shelter, while protecting them from disease and predators.
Growing in importance is achieving the above in a sustainable, humane way, while at the same time producing healthier animals and thus healthier and more organic food products. Many animals benefit from being raised in the pasture, among others, cows, pigs, and chickens. Using chicken as an example, pastured chickens are by definition birds that live outside in a natural habitat (on grass, in the fresh air and sunshine with space to roam and forage). Rotating chickens to fresh pasture regularly, brings about healthier birds and also regenerates soils and grasslands, which is arguably not only sustainable, but goes even further. There are many designations for chickens today, pasture-raised, free range, cage free, local, organic, humane, biodynamic, sustainable, regenerative. A century ago, this is how chicken was raised. Pasture raised chicken is very different from today's industrial chicken. In the pasture industry “always outside” refers to chickens living on pasture full-time. Pasture birds eat bugs, worms, grasses, seeds, and more, and are kept healthy by sunshine, fresh air, and space instead of antibiotics. Also, pasture farms are out in the open for all to see. Also, healthy fresh grass and bugs are key to producing high quality eggs, meat, or milk. Many poultry farmers for example refuse to raise chickens on dirt, and go to laborious expensive lengths to provide grass fed pastured chickens. But providing a constant supply of fresh grass and bugs is expensive and laborious, and thus in many cases practically impossible for stationary enclosures.
Another substantial challenge with raising animals is protecting them from predators is a challenging problem. Typically, it is solved by providing a type of enclosure such as a corral or coop to keep the animals safe from hawks, vultures, coyotes, dogs, weasels, raccoons etc. One problem with enclosures however is crowding of animals. It is expensive to provide generous space for each animal, and this has led to a series of regulations, for example that the label “organic eggs” requires at least two square feet per chicken. Disease can quickly spread among animals confined to tight quarters, one of the reasons many animals are fed antibiotics, which has a number of downsides, and enclosures quickly become messy and toxic with animal excrement and need to be cleaned regularly. Cleaning enclosures is a time-consuming and unpleasant process, and one of the reasons people give up on animal husbandry.
One solution which merges the goal of achieving pastured animals while at the same time keeping them safe from predators is to use mobile corrals, mobile chicken coops for example, which are typically called chicken tractors. A mobile chicken tractor is a coop or cage constructed such that it can be moved manually. Typically, this involves the operator lifting one end of the coop and rolling it on a set of wheels to a new location with fresh grass. An example of mass deployment of mobile chicken tractors can be found at Polyface Farms in Virginia, run by Joel Salatin. This solution addresses the problem of waste piling up in the coop and so obviates the need to clean the coop, and it also provides fresh grass and bugs for the chickens.
However, mobile corrals introduce a new problem, which is that the operator regularly has to move them, which is laborious and disruptive, and in Salatin's case requires numerous farmhands. Not only does it require substantial manual labor, but it also requires keeping track of when to move the corrals, and interrupting other farm processes or work to move the corrals.
To solve these problems, there have been several attempts at building self-moving corrals. These motorized systems however have a number of drawbacks:
The aforementioned problems notwithstanding, if it is possible to develop a system which reduces the labor associated with pastured animal husbandry, there are substantial financial gains to be had. In the case of raising broilers for example, production labor can account for more than 20% of the total cost. It is estimated that a chicken tractor which autonomously moves, feeds, waters, and protects birds from predators could reduce this labor cost by more than 50 percent. With net profits from raising pastured birds ranging from around 3-20%, depending on type of bird and raising standard (pastured, non-GMO pastured, organic, etc.) such a cost reduction could improve profits substantially. By certain industry metrics, a unit reduction in labor cost could lead to a five to tenfold increase in enterprise value.
Therefore, the present invention provides methods and systems for sustainable, environmental, safe, healthy, disease-free animal husbandry while yielding better food products and reducing labor costs. Specifically, it provides users with an automated corral—or ways to achieve such—that requires minimal cleaning or maintenance, helps fertilize the ground, moves itself, auto-feeds, auto-waters, does not get stuck, and is lightweight.
Autonomous self-moving animal corral system and device.
In one aspect of the disclosure, an autonomous self-moving animal containment system is provided having one or more of the following: a containment device for containing animals; a solar panel for collecting energy; a capacitor for storing energy; an actuator for moving said containment device (because of easily getting stuck in terrain, wheels are not universally effective/robust, so movement should be achieved either by a pull-cable or by using radially asymmetric ground contact members, like arms, flippers, or even square wheels, which provide a slight vertical lift in the process of horizontal forward propulsion); a water collection and storage device; a feed dispenser (passive for egg birds; actuated for meat birds, who will eat themselves to death if given unlimited access to feed); a perimeter shocker/electric fence to protect animals from predators; a communication module for wireless communication with a remote device such as smartphone or computer for interacting with the containment system remotely; and an electronic control unit for managing the operation of the system.
In another aspect of the disclosure, an autonomous self-moving animal containment system may be additionally provided having one or more of the following: a second capacitor (for more energy storage and/or boosting perimeter shocking power); anti-scalp wheels to make the containment device easier to move, especially laterally and rotationally; a liftable hood with dampers for accessing the interior of said containment device. a water level sensor to keep track of the amount of stored water; a heater to keep stored water from freezing; a series of water dispensing nipples at different heights to accommodate different size animals; a clean-out access point for the water storage device; a feed level sensor to keep track of amount of feed; a camera for viewing interior of said containment device; and an inducer/persuader to induce animals to move forward with the movement of the containment device (necessary when using the lift form of locomotion to make sure animals are not injured).
In another aspect of the disclosure, an autonomous self-moving animal containment system may be provided as further having one or more of the following, wherein: automatic feeding could be coordinated with movement of system to avoid additional actuator or/and to provide feed to pull birds away from moving walls when the system is moving; containment device is moved slowly or in increments small enough (not larger than the size of an animal) to not harm animals; movement of containment device is keyed off of daylight using solar panel both as a light sensor in addition to energy collector; and in order to boost the electrical shock, the energy of one capacitor is intermittently transferred to a second capacitor using an inductor to achieve a higher voltage potential in the second capacitor before energizing an electrical coil to produce the shock.
In another aspect of the disclosure, an autonomous self-moving animal containment system may be provided as having one or more of: a containment device (e.g., corral/cage structure); an energy collection device (e.g., solar panel(s)); an energy storage device (e.g.,: capacitor(s) (could technically do without this but it would not work well on cloudy days)); a movement device for moving the system (e.g., motor for pulling cable or actuating member(s) for lift-and-translate type gait); and an electronic control device for managing system operation (e.g., integrated circuit with microprocessing capabilities).
In another aspect of the disclosure, an autonomous self-moving animal containment system may be additionally provided having one or more of the following: non-maiming system (e.g., 1. either moving in such a way that does not injure animals, either in very small increments or very slowly; 2. feeding in conjunction with move to attract animals away from moving walls; 3. employing a compliant member at back of system which gives/yields in case of contact with animals; 4. incorporating an element designed to physically “persuade” animals to move away from a moving wall when the system moves, such as feed or an alarm/alert; water collection, storage, and dispensing system (e.g., using roof with gutters as a collection surface connected to a storage container); feed storage and dispensing system (e.g., arranged away from back of system, either passive (egg birds) or active (fixed amounts of feed dispensed each time)); animal protection system (e.g., an electric fence/shocker wire(s) around the perimeter of the system); and wireless communication system (e.g., Bluetooth module for connection to a personal digital device; could also be an internet connectivity module).
In another aspect of the disclosure, an autonomous self-moving animal containment system may be additionally provided having one or more of the following: wherein said movement device comprises using a cable to pull said containment device; wherein said movement device comprises a radially asymmetric rotating element(s) which lifts said containment device vertically in the process of providing forward horizontal motion relative to the ground.
In another aspect of the disclosure, an autonomous self-moving animal containment system may be provided with a non-maiming system as discussed herein, and one or more of the following: the non-maiming system includes moving said containment device slowly enough to not injure animals during movement; the non-maiming system includes movement of said containment device that is so small (generally not bigger than the size of an animal) as to not injure animals during movement; the non-maiming system includes an element which can deflect if in contact with animals during motion of containment devices so as to not injure animals; the non-maiming system includes an element which induces/persuades animals to move forward with the movement of the containment device; and when provided with a feed storage and dispensing system, the non-maiming system includes dispensing feed towards the front of the animal containment device such that the animals move towards the front of the device and are not injured by the back of the containment device during movement.
In another aspect of the disclosure, an autonomous self-moving animal containment system may be provided with a water collection storage, and dispensing system as discussed herein, and one or more of the following: the water collection and storage system includes a sensor for sensing water level; the water collection and storage system includes a heating system for keeping water in liquid state during cold weather; the water collection and storage system includes a water dispensing system arranged at different heights to accommodate different size animals; and the water collection and storage system includes a cleanout system.
In another aspect of the disclosure, an autonomous self-moving animal containment system may be provided with feed storage and dispensing system as discussed herein, and one or more of the following: the feeding system includes a sensor for sensing feed level; wherein feed is automatically dispensed over a time period; and wherein feed is automatically dispensed in a certain amount.
In another aspect of the disclosure, an autonomous self-moving animal containment system may be provided with an animal protection system as discussed herein, and one or more of the following: the animal protection system includes a system for providing an electric shock; the animal protection system includes a system for providing an electric shock wherein the energy storage system comprises at least two elements wherein the energy of the first element is intermittently transferred to the second element using an inductor to achieve a higher voltage potential in the second capacitor before energizing an electrical coil to produce the shock; the animal protection system uses the containment device as electrical ground; and the animal protection system is automatically powered down when it detects a user in a certain proximity of system.
In another aspect of the disclosure, an autonomous self-moving animal containment system may be provided with a wireless communication system as discussed herein, and one or more of the following: the wireless communication system can be used to interact with the system from a digital device such as a smartphone or a computer, also through onboard sensors or a camera.
In another aspect of the invention an autonomous self-moving animal containment system may be provided with the structure discussed herein for at least one or more of: containing animals; collecting energy; storing energy; moving the system; and electronically operating the system; not injuring animals when moving the system; collecting, storing, and dispensing water to animals; feeding animals; protecting animals from predators; wirelessly communicating with system.
In another aspect of the invention, an electronic system for controlling a mobile animal corral may be provided as being capable of at least one or more of the following: storing energy; directing stored energy to actuate an actuator to move the corral in such a way that corralled animals are not injured; directing stored energy to administer shocks to predators attempting to access corralled animals; directing stored energy to administer feed to corralled animals; communicating wirelessly with remote digital devices; communicating with sensors configured on mobile corral.
In another aspect of the invention, a system for moving at least one animal corral without injuring animals may be provided having one or more of the following: a solar panel for energy collection; a capacitor for energy storage; a pull-cable system (like a winch) for attaching to said corral(s); an actuator for actuating pull-cable; and an electronic control unit for managing system. A system for connecting additional corrals to said pull-cable system in order to move multiple corrals simultaneously/at generally the same time/in the same operation may also be optionally provided with one or more of the above. Said actuator may also be optionally controlled so as to pull the corral(s) in such a way as to not injure animals (either very slowly, or in increments so small (typically less than the size of animal) animals cannot be injured by the moving corral(s)).
In another aspect of the invention, a system for moving one or more animal corrals without injuring animals may be provided having one or more of the following: a solar panel for energy collection; a capacitor for energy storage; a pull-cable system (like a winch) for attaching to said corral(s); an actuator for actuating pull-cable; and an electronic control unit for managing solar panel, capacitor, and an actuator. A structure that can be rigidly mounted, for example to the ground, in order to provide a bracing force sufficient to pull said corral with actuator, may also be optionally provided with one or more of the above.
In another aspect of the invention, an animal corral system may be provided having one or more of the following: an animal containment structure; a water system for collecting, storing, and dispensing water; anti-scalping wheels to simplify manual movement of said system (or some kind of couple-curvature skis or cups which can slide in all directions); a feeder; a liftable hood/roof with force assist; a flapper/persuader; a winch, either powered or manual, mounted on either the corral or remotely, power could come from energy storage device or directly from grid, manual crank or push-button operation; a pull bar for pulling multiple corrals.
In another aspect of the invention, an animal corral system may be provided having one or more of the following: a corral; a winch; wherein the which is manual (e.g., with a crank); wherein winch is actuated (e.g., with a motor); wherein the winch is actuated off of a timer; wherein the winch is actuated by grid power; wherein the winch is actuated by local stored energy; wherein there is a mechanism for connecting multiple corrals to winch cable; wherein a water storage and dispensing system is on said corral; wherein a water collection, storage, and dispensing system is on said corral; and wherein omnidirectional cups/skis/wheels are on said corral.
In another aspect of the invention, an electrical system for protecting animals in a mobile corral against predators may be provided having one or more of the following: an energy collection system (e.g., solar panel(s)); an energy storage system; (e.g., capacitor(s)); an electrically conductive element attached to said corral and energized to an electrical potential relative to the ground so as to deliver an electrical shock to anything coming into contact with said element while also in contact with the ground or said corral (e.g., an electrically conductive element like a wire); an electronics unit for administering energy to said electrically conductive element; wherein the shocker auto-shuts off/element is auto de-energized when a user approaches (detected via, e.g., a fob or mobile phone); wherein energy is shifted within energy storage system (shifted between capacitors) in order to boost power to the electrically conductive element; and wherein said electrical system is electrically grounded to said corral.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, an application program for controlling a remote animal corral may be provided, running on a programmable device, allowing a user through a graphical user interface to wirelessly perform one or more of the following: actuate an actuator to move the corral; control electrical energy to administer electrical shocks to the environment; actuate an actuator to dispense feed to animals in the corral; access a camera to view the interior of the corral; check the status of the corral, like position, energy level, water level, feed level, motion history, faults, or problems; adjust the settings of the corral; and download and upload data from the corral.
The following description illustrates the invention by way of example, not by way of limitation of the principles of the invention. This description will enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives and uses of the invention, including what we presently believe is the best mode of carrying out the invention.
Prior art. The prior art covers a series of solutions intended to provide self-propelled animal shelters. One is to simply hitch one or more passive animal containment assemblies to a moving tractor, as done at Crown S Ranch, in Twisp, Wash. in 2010 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnCX53JVWCY). Another example is the work of students at Oregon State University in 2012, who attempted to build a self-moving coop (http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/engineering/2012/06/06/automated-mobile-chicken-coop/). It is not clear that this solution was ever reduced to practice. Similarly, the Full Monty Chicken Coop of 2011 describes a self-moving coop (https://inhabitat.com/tag/full-monty-chicken-coop/, and https://earthtechling.com/2011/09/a-solar-powered-chicken-coop-for-dummies/, https://www.greenlaunches.com/alternative-energy/backyard-solarpowered-chicken-coop-propels-self-with-green-energy-keeps-hungry-chickens-active.php), but it does not appear that this was ever reduced to practice either. One of the earliest examples of a patent in this area is U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,959A (1976), by Steele. This disclosure teaches a mobile, portable, and self-propelled corral for penning animals. This invention relies on driven wheels and a steering means. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,3411,81A (1981), “Livestock confinement pasture machine,” Fair also teaches driven wheels and a steering unit. Humblet also teaches wheels driven by an electric motor in BE1010748A6 (1996). Badiou teaches a Mobile Animal Shelter Device in WO2017197494A1 (2016) wherein a controller drives one or more motors operatively connected to (transport) wheels.
Additional prior art reference list:
Websites related to the prior art:
In the context of its basic method, the present invention's most basic embodiment is a self-propelled animal shelter device.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described by way of an example wherein a chicken coop is the animal containment device in question. Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numbers represent similar or identical structures throughout,
The water storage tubes 60 connected to the gutter system 50 run along the inside of the containment device and meet in a termination tube 70, as shown in
The gait is illustrated in
A key component of this invention is the ability for a user to interact with the autonomous corral wirelessly through a digital device.
A variation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in
Another advantage with the system shown in
The illustrations simply show the concept of moving a fleet of corrals. The specific mechanics of how to do this can vary, but is straightforward for anyone skilled in the art of farming. It would also be possible to daisy-chain autonomous corrals.
Some of the design choices, which are results of prolonged prototyping and testing, warrant particular attention as they are instrumental in providing the most commercially viable product, and are discussed below.
Capacitors store their energy as electric fields rather than in chemicals and therefore can be recharged over and over again and do not lose their ability to hold a charge like batteries do. So capacitors have a much longer lifespan than batteries, and batteries often reach early end of life in extreme weather conditions, which are a natural part of farming. While capacitors have lower energy density than batteries and therefore would take up more space for the same amount of energy, they have much greater power density. In other words they can discharge power faster than batteries which provide more constant power and are therefore ideal for situations where a burst of energy for a short time is needed, like shocking a predator or moving a corral a short distance. Similarly, unlike batteries capacitors recharge quickly, and this is important for maintaining the fence-shocking deterrent against predators. Therefore, they can still be made very small for the current application since energy is only ever needed in bursts. Capacitors are also less temperature sensitive than batteries and have a much broader range of operating temperatures, which is important in an application such as the one in question where weather can vary greatly. Also, the materials used to make capacitors are usually less toxic and do not cause the same toxic waste disposal problems as batteries do. The downsides to capacitors, such as lower energy density and self-discharge, making them poor for long term storage, are not relevant to the application in question since long term storage isn't the goal. The current application requires rapid discharges and recharges of energy and frequent cycling through high and low states of energy rather than long term storage.
Another advantage of capacitors is that sloshing energy between capacitors, for example for the purpose of boosting power as necessary, for instance to the electric fence, is more energy efficient than doing continuous direct current (DC) to direct current conversion. The problem with DC-to-DC conversion is that the converter is using power whenever it's running. When transferring power between two capacitors for example, conversion is required only once for the intended purpose and puts no ongoing strain on the energy budget.
Most self-moving corrals from the prior art use driven wheels to cause forward motion. The problem with this is that driven wheels are not robust against varied terrain. Because corrals have to stay very low to the ground to keep predators out, since the corrals do not have floors, it can be difficult for the wheels to get proper traction and in many cases the corral can end up high-centered, where the wheels lose ground contact and the corral becomes immobilized. Another problem with the current wheeled solutions is that they are generally bi-directional; it is very hard to move the corrals other than forward or backwards. Sideways motion is very difficult or impossible, but sideways motion is often necessary if the corral gets stuck, where the user will need to pull or rock the corral sideways to unstick it or to change its direction.
The current invention addresses the problems of the corral high-centering or getting stuck by using either of two superior locomotion schemes. The first employs a motorized winch (the winch could also be manual), a pull-cable system for pulling the corral. In its simplest use the winch would be attached either to a remote stationary anchor like a fence post or similar structure and the cable ending would be attached to the corral, or a fleet of corrals, or the winch would be attached to the corral itself, with the cable ending attached to the remote stationary anchor. With sufficient cable and actuator strength, such winch systems can provide massive pull force such that a winched corral would in practice never get stuck. This scheme also has the advantage that the corral can always stay close to the ground, and in certain implementations does not even need wheels; skis or rounded cups may do, so the corral simply slides along as the winch pulls it.
The second locomotion scheme is centered around an unconventional gait which relies on non-radially symmetric elements which unlike radially symmetric wheels can provide a combination of lift and translational force. This combination of vertical and horizontal force empirically allows the corral to negotiate difficult and uneven terrain and avoid getting stuck. In the simplest implementation the asymmetric elements are positioned at the front of the corral and when activated rotate, causing the front of the corral to lift up slightly and then fall forward, somewhat like a paddle stroke or dry land version of a butterfly stroke in swimming. It turns out that this form of gait is substantially more robust than regular wheels when moving animal corrals which need to stay close to the ground. The price for the robustness is that the corral has to lift up slightly every time it takes a stroke forward. Another feature of this gait is that it moves the corral forward in cyclical steps, much like walking, rather than continuous rolling like with wheels. Thus, the corral may be operated to only move one stroke at a time since it does not need to displace itself at a faster rate in order to provide fresh pasture ground at a sufficient rate. This is advantageous as the corral will only be exposed for a brief movement every so often.
It is vital for corralled animals to have access to water. To avoid having to make regular trips into the field to replenish corral water supply, which would defeat part of the purpose of a self-moving corral, the current invention includes a rainwater collection system. This system comprises three parts, a collection surface, a drainage/gutter system, and a storage tank which is supplied by the drainage system.
There is a substantial amount of prior art in animal feeding systems, including capacitively driven systems, as taught by Laceky in U.S. Pat. No. 7,275,501B1. The current invention uses a similar scheme, where feed is dispensed to corralled animals in spurts. These spurts can either be fixed amounts of feed, or a fixed dispensing period, such as a few seconds. This type of discrete or rationed dispensing is necessary for raising for example meat birds, like broiler chickens, as they might eat themselves to death if given free access to feed. The feed system can be passive for egg birds which are not at the risk of overeating. However, an active feeding system could have merit also in the case of egg birds as it could be used to control feed so as to regulate the birds' diets, for example pushing them to eat more grass and bugs by restricting access to feed.
Perhaps the most important consideration when designing a self-moving corral is making sure animals are not injured during movement of the corral. One way to keep the animals safe during motion is to make sure the corral moves in such a way that its moving walls, in particular the back wall, are not a danger to the animals. This can be achieved by moving the corral so slowly that animals cannot get entangled or injured. It can also be achieved by moving the corral by such a small amount, not larger than the size of an animal, that it does not pose a danger. Another successfully tested method is to use a compliant member at the back of the corral that either flexes or deflects if it comes into contact with an animal during motion. A further method is to use an element designed not to injure animals but to “persuade” or “induce” them to move forward as the corral moves, keeping them safe from getting entangled with moving walls. A fifth method is to dispense feed in conjunction with movement such that animals are drawn toward the feed and away from moving walls.
Other than physically preventing predator access by using enclosures and other separators, a mature technology is using electric fences which administer shocks designed to scare predators or cause sufficient discomfort to deter further predation attempts. Traditionally electric fencing and containment systems are stationary and can therefore have a solid electrical connection to ground, providing more electrical stability and max potential difference for greater shock value. Easily movable electric fence systems exist, but they are not the same as truly mobile ambulatory systems as would be needed on a self-moving animal corral. One solution is simply to provide a large amount of slack such that the fence can still be grounded permanently in one spot while still move with the moving corral. This is however impractical and introduces unnecessary cost, complexity, and even safety hazards. The better solution is to have the shocking system mounted to the corral without any tether to a stationary spot in the ground. In this case that works well: because the corral has to remain very low to the ground as part of the predator defense scheme, it also has good ground contact, and so the corral itself can function well as the grounding structure, approximating actual earth ground.
A key feature of the current invention is the integration of many different power levels onto a single circuit board. The reason this is important is because when there are multiple electrical events going on at different power levels, for example moving a winch motor or providing electrical shocks to predators, it is very easy to get electrical interference. A fence shocker for example could disrupt other electrical operations, so integrating electronic controls onto a single board allows for design and testing to avoid electrical interference across subsystems.
The following is an example of the favorable interplay of elements with this invention. The corral has to be low to the ground in order to keep out predators. But this minimal ground clearance makes the corral harder to move and more likely to get stuck. Therefore, traditional wheeled locomotion schemes are inferior to schemes which require more torque, and therefore more power. Capacitors are ideal for this situation as they can provide substantial power for short bursts, what is needed for the types of locomotion schemes taught in this disclosure. Short bursts are also ideal for providing shocks to predators. And the shocking system requires a connection to ground, which is achieved precisely by a corral which sits in close contact with the ground. Thus, the energy storage system, the locomotion scheme, the predator protection schemes, both small ground clearance, and active electric shocking scheme, and even the feed dispensing scheme, which requires short bursts (for meat birds), all fit together well. In essence the system features require energy in short bursts, which is ideal for lightweight capacitors, which also have the advantage of never wearing out. What is particularly relevant in this case is the ability to move very heavy corrals from the high-power density capacitors. In order to not defeat the purpose of a self-moving corral, it is necessary to load the corral up with ample feed and water so regular trips out to the corral are not necessary—if one first has to deliver water and feed, one might as well move the corral when on the spot. This loading makes the corral heavy, making it hard to move manually, necessitating substantial force to effect motion. Substantial force requires large energy bursts, exactly what electrical storage devices such as capacitors can deliver.
The automated corral can be wirelessly controlled through an application program running on a digital device such as a cellphone, tablet or personal computer. The graphical user interface (GUI) would allow the user to move the corral, dispense feed, provide shocks/energy to the electric fence, and engage a water heater to keep water from freezing, to name a few. The user interface provides a dashboard to allow a user to check on the status of the capacitor voltage/charge level, water level, water temperature, feed level, solar panel output, location, number of moves made during a certain period, or lifetime number of moves, or how far the corral has moved in a given period or over its lifetime. The interface would also let the user adjust settings, for example the number of scheduled moves per day, how far to move, move speed, how much torque to apply, how much feed to dispense, how long to feed, how much voltage to apply to each shock, how many shocks to administer per second, etc. The interface also allows visual inspection of the corral by accessing an internal camera showing live footage from inside the corral.
The prototyping process revealed a number of optimizations. Firstly, it became clear that it was often necessary to boost voltage to achieve a proper shock when using a capacitive energy storage system. Another related feature was employing an auto-shutoff of the electric fencing when the system detects a user carrying the appropriate electronics, like a fob device or a digital device with the appropriate software or settings, approaching the corral to interact with it manually. Another innovation was the discovery that water dispensing nipples are necessary at different heights to accommodate animals of different sizes. From operating the prototypes it also became obvious that it was necessary to install a drain valve at the lowest point in the water storage device in order to drain accumulated gunk in the system. Further, the corral should remain stationary at night such that the animals are not affected by a moving corral when sleeping. In one instance a malfunction caused the prototype to move at night leaving the sleeping animals exposed. Making sure the corral only moves during the day can be achieved by using the solar panel not simply as an energy collection device, but also as a photo sensor to gauge onset of dusk and dawn. It is also possible to upload annual daylight information based on geolocation and key the corral movement accordingly. Another substantial discovery was that corrals can be operated as a fleet when tethering them to a sufficiently powerful winch, allowing for scaling of husbandry operations. And in this regard, it was also discovered that replacing standard winch cables with smaller, but sufficiently strong, versions, makes it possible to wrap more cable and thus cover greater distances, reducing the need to change the position of the winch as often—something which must be done every time the cable reaches the end of its travel.
Another advantage of the current system which can recharge quickly is that it can be used adaptively. In other words, the system can be operated based on opportunity rather than time. For example, in situations where there is ample sunlight and therefore energy supply, more energy could be deployed to various functions such as moving, heating water, feeding, raising the voltage on the electric fence, because the energy storage system will quickly be replenished. This can be done autonomously, based on intelligent monitoring of energy and power, where settings are automatically adjusted to dynamically optimize for available energy. For example, the Al might regularly check the energy storage level and if the capacitors are fully charged, then use the unstorable excess energy arriving from the solar panels to perform tasks or maintenance routines which require energy.
The present invention has been described above in terms of a presently preferred embodiment so that an understanding of the present invention can be conveyed. However, many alternative ways of constructing the system are possible without departing from the principle of the invention. The scope of the present invention should therefore not be limited by the embodiments illustrated, but rather it should be understood that the present invention has wide applicability with respect to its stated objectives. For example, the present invention extends to any animal that might fit with this situation, for example rabbits, or on a larger scale, livestock. All modifications, variations, or equivalent elements and implementations should therefore be considered within the scope of the invention.
This disclosure claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/985,595, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62985595 | Mar 2020 | US |
