Electronic cattle guard
AssigneeKeith A. Tidball
InventorJay R. Carr
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Livestock entering a border zone along a vehicle roadway are deterred by sequentially activated horn, smoke generating and odor emitting devices triggered in response to interruption of one photo-electric beam at that end of the zone from which the cattle enter. Travel of a vehicle through the zone sequentially interrupts the two beams at opposite ends of the zone to reset the deterring apparatus and cancel its operation.
Claims11
In a method of discouraging movement of livestock along a vehicle roadway, the steps of:
- establishing a beam of radiation across said roadway;
- detecting interruptions of said beam;
- and generating a deterrent effect in response to elapse of a predetermined delay period following detection of a first of said interruptions.
A method of discouraging movement of livestock along a vehicle roadway, including the steps of:
- establishing at least two beams of radiation across said roadway to define a deterrent zone;
- detecting sequential interruptions of said beams;
- generating a deterrent effect within said zone between the sequential interruptions of the same beam;
- timing the interval between sequential interruptions of different beams;
- and cancelling the deterrent effect in response to timed intervals of less than a predetermined duration.
In combination with apparatus for deterring movement of livestock across a border along a vehicle roadway, a method including the steps of:
- establishing at least two beams of radiation across the roadway on opposite sides of the border;
- initiating operation of the deterring apparatus when one of the beams is interrupted;
- continuing operation of the apparatus until said one of the beams is interrupted again;
- timing the intervals between sequential interruptions of different beams;
- and cancelling said operation of the apparatus in response to timed intervals of less than a predetermined duration.
A system for deterring movement of livestock or the like along a vehicle roadway, including means for establishing at least two beams of radiation across said roadway to define a deterrent zone, means for detecting interruptions of said beams;
- means responsive to detection of a first interruption of one of the beams for establishing deterrent effects within said zone, time delay means connected to the deterrent establishing means for maintaining operation thereof until detection of a second interruption of said one of the beams, programming means connected to said detecting means for timing intervals between sequential interruptions of the beams, and reset means connected to the programming means for cancelling said operation of the deterrent establishing means in response to timed intervals less than a predetermined duration between the interruptions of different beams.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.