AU730168B2 - A fluid level alarm - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD (DIVISIONAL) PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: HADOARP PTY. LIMITED (ACN 010 494 434) Trustee for the Suthers Family Trust Roderick John SUTHERS CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

A FLUID LEVEL ALARM The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 2 The present invention relates to an apparatus for alerting an operator when a fluid level at one or more remote sites falls below a predetermined level. In particular, the present invention is directed towards an apparatus for alerting a farmer to a low level of water in water supplies for free ranging livestock.

The present invention will be described with particular reference to water levels in livestock water supplies. However it will be appreciated that the apparatus of the present invention may have other applications and no limitation is intended thereby. The apparatus of the present invention may also be used to monitor the level in fuel holding tanks or the like.

Water is often supplied to livestock by providing water troughs or dams at various locations on a farm property. The water level in these water supplies can be maintained in a number of ways. First, the water level in a dam may be maintained by regular rainfall.

However this is not always reliable and the water supply is generally supplemented by other means. One such means is by pumping water from underground. Typically the water is pumped using power generated from a windmill.

The pumped water may be stored in an above ground tank "which is referred to as a "turkey nest". One or more 25 conduits lead from the turkey nest to respective water troughs.

The water level in the livestock water supplies, whether dam, trough or turkey nest must be regularly monitored to ensure an adequate water supply S 30 for the livestock. Such monitoring is conducted manually by the farmer driving to each site and checking the water level. This is very time consuming and prevents the farmer from attending to other tasks.

Fluid level indicators, which activate an alarm 35 when a fluid falls below a predetermined limit, are known. In some instances the indicators can be hardwired to an alarm at a remote site which enables the level to be monitored at the remote site. These types of alarm systems are unsuitable for use on a farm to monitor the water level in stock water supplies for a number of reasons.

First, it is quite impractical in terms of manpower and cost to install an electrical supply and wire alarm connection between each water supply and a monitoring station such as the farmer's house. Second the known types of alarms emit a signal only when the fluid level has fallen below a certain level. No signal indicates a satisfactory fluid supply. However, a "no signal" may also be caused by a failure of the electrical connections or in the present instance, damage to a fluid level indicator by an animal. In this case, the water level may fall below a critical level, but no alarm will be activated. This may lead to stock dehydration, stress and even death.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for monitoring fluid levels at remote sites which may at least partially overcome the above disadvantages or provide the public with a useful choice.

According to a first broad form of the invention there is provided an apparatus for generating an alarm when a fluid level at one or more remote sites 25 falls below a predetermined level, the apparatus including at each of said sites, a fluid level indicator, a radio frequency transmitter having an on/off switch operatively connected with the fluid level indicator such that a signal is transmitted when the switch is in the on position, and the switch is turned off when the fluid level falls below a predetermined level, and a radio frequency receiver for receiving the S. 35 signal transmitted from each site and an alarm which is actuated when a said signals ceases to be received.

The apparatus of the present invention includes a fluid level indicator located at each desired site. The fluid level indicator may be any type of indicator, which is capable of activating a switch when a fluid level reaches a predetermined fluid level. Such indicators are well known in the art and need not be further described.

A typical fluid level indicator includes a buoyant float.

The fluid level indicator activates a switch, which controls a radio frequency transmitter. The transmitter is preferably powered by a self-contained power source. Preferably, the power source is a battery.

Preferably, the battery is rechargeable and is connected to an on site solar panel such that the battery may be automatically recharged.

Alternatively a "long life" battery may be used which may require periodic replacement. Such batteries are known and may typically last up to about 12 months before replacement.

The transmitter(s) which are located at the respective sites may be any suitable transmitter which is able to transmit a signal to the receiver. Transmitter which may be suitable for use in the present invention may be selected according to the power required to generate a signal and the desired distance the generated signal is to be transmitted. Such requirements may vary with the geography of the location and the distance 25 between the transmitter and receiver. Preferably the transmitter is one which does not require a large energy source. An especially preferred transmitter is of the type used in mobile or cellular telephones. Such transmitters are known and need not be further described.

30 The receiver receives the signals from the respective transmitters. The receiver is associated with an alarm which is activated when a signal ceases to be received. As described above, the switch is turned off when the water level falls below a predetermined level 35 and the transmitter does not send a signal. This means that under normal circumstances, a signal is being continually sent. A signal may also fail to be sent in such circumstances as a malfunction in the transmitter, the transmitter battery is flat and/or there is a malfunction in any solar cell which recharges the battery. Any of these circumstances will also require the attention of the operator. As the alarm is activated when the signal ceases, it can be seen that the operator will be notified when either the fluid level falls below the predetermined level or there is a malfunction in the system.

The alarm which may be any suitable alarm which may alert an operator. The alarm may include an audio alarm and/or a display on a monitor. The alarm may also activate a further transmitter which may transmit an alarm signal which may be received by the farmer or operator if they are away from the farmhouse for example.

Such alarms are known in the art and need not be further described.

When there is only one transmitter, it is not necessary for the receiver to be able to distinguish between signals. Generally, there will be a number of transmitters, each transmitting from a different site. It is therefore preferable that the receiver is able to identify signals received from the different sites. This may be achieved by each transmitter transmitting at a different frequency which may be decoded by the receiver.

25 In an especially preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further includes a timing means for controlling the signal transmitted from a said transmitter such that when the on/off switch is in the on position, a signal is only transmitted during 30 predetermined time intervals. Typically the apparatus includes a timer at each site which controls the time period for transmission of the signal. Typically the timer controls the power source to the transmitter. In the embodiment in which the power is provided by a "long 35 life" battery, the battery may be provided as part of a programmable unit. The unit may be programmed to regulate the power supply from the battery to the transmitter. In a preferred embodiment, the switch, 6 transmitter and timer are connected such that when the switch is in the off position, the transmitter cannot be turned on by the timer.

The timers located at each site will preferably be set such that only one transmitter is transmitting at any one time. Thus, a signal from any one site can be recognized by the time period in which the signal is being received. The receiver may be provided with control means into which the time periods each transmitter transmits a signal and the respective site locations can be entered. This enables the signals received from the respective transmitters to be identified. When a signal ceases during the selected transmission period, the control means will generate an alarm signal and identify at which site the alarm has been generated. The control means is also preferably programmed such that an alarm will not be generated when the transmitted signal is interrupted by the timer.

Provision of a timer to control the transmission periods of the respective transmitters enables the power consumption of the transmitters to be minimized. Reduced power consumption means that Sbatteries need be replaced less often and when solar "cells are used, smaller cells may be required for 25 recharging the transmitters' batteries.

The apparatus of the present invention may *.**further include means for monitoring parameters in addition to fluid level such as fluid flow rates, and the like. The apparatus may further include an intruder 30 alarm at each site which can generate a signal which can be identified by the receiver.

By way of example only, the present invention will now be described with reference to the figure which is a schematic illustration of a preferred apparatus of 35 the present invention.

The apparatus 11 is suitable for installation on a farm having a number of water troughs supplied by one or more turkey nests. Each trough and turkey nest has a fluid level indicator 1. The fluid level indicator includes a float which rises and falls in response to the water level in the trough or turkey nest. The float actuates a switch 2 between on/off positions such that the switch is turned off when the float falls below a predetermined level. The switch controls a transmitter 3. The transmitter is powered by a rechargeable battery which is connected to a solar cell 6. A timer unit 4 controls the power supply from the battery 5 to the transmitter 3. The timer 4 is set to provide power to the transmitter 3 at predetermined intervals only. Each timer at each trough or turkey nest is set such that only one transmitter is transmitting a signal at any one time.

The apparatus further includes a single receiver 7 located at a remote site such as the farmers house. The receiver is connected to a computer 8. The computer can be input with information as to the respective sites and time periods each transmitter is operative. The computer is linked to a monitor screen which can display relevant information about the sites and the signals being received. The computer also operates an audio alarm 9.

turey In use, when the water level in a trough or turkey nest falls below a certain level, the fluid 25 indicator activates the switch to the off position. The transmitter will either be transmitting in its predetermined time period or it will not be transmitting.

In the first case, the switch will turn off the transmission. This cease in transmission will be 30 detected by the receiver and the computer will identify which site the signal originates from and issue an alarm signal. The site location will be identified on the monitor and the audio alarm activated. If the transmitter is not transmitting in time, the receiver 35 will not detect a cease in transmission. However, when the transmitter is due to retransmit and the switch is in the off position, no signal will begin to be transmitted.

The computer will detect this failure to transmit and an 8 alarm signal will be initiated. Although there may be some time delay between when the water level falls below a predetermined level and the alarm being activated should not be critical to stock health if the fluid level indicator is set to activate the switch at a level at which the stock have sufficient water until some time after the timer is due to reactivate the transmitter.

It can be seen that the apparatus of the present invention enables a farmer to monitor the water level in livestock water supplies without having to visit each site. By utilizing a timer which operates each transmitter at different predetermined time periods, power can be conserved and the individual sites can be easily identified. Further, the timer enables power consumption by the transmitter to be minimised. This enables smaller batteries and solar cells to be installed which reduces overall costs.

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Claims (7)

1. An apparatus for generating an alarm when a fluid level at one or more remote sites falls below a predetermined level, the apparatus including at each of said sites, a fluid level indicator, a radio frequency transmitter having an on/off switch operatively connected with the fluid level indicator such that a signal is transmitted when the switch is in the on position, and the switch is turned off when the fluid level falls below a predetermined level, and a radio frequency receiver for receiving the signal transmitted from each site and an alarm which is actuated when a said signal ceases to be received.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 which further includes at each site, a timing means for controlling the signal transmitted from a said transmitter such that when the on/off switch is in the on position, a signal is only transmitted during predetermined time intervals.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein when there are two or more sites, the timing means at each site controls each said transmitter such that only one signal can be received at a time by the receiver during a pre- determined time interval.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the location of a site from which a signal is being received can be determined according to the time interval at which the signal is being received.

5. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the radio frequency transmitter is powered by a battery.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the battery is rechargeable and connected to a solar cell. S35

7. An apparatus for generating an alarm, .*0 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the Figures. DATED this 12th day of May 1998 HADOARP PTY. LIMITED 010 494 434) Trustee for the Suthers Family Trust By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO. 0 e. ee *0* *0 •••go