text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Nov 26, 1991
|Filing date
|Dec 10, 1990
|Priority date
|Dec 10, 1990
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Lee D. Weinstein
|Original Assignee
|Torrington Product Ventures, Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (17), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (113), Classifications (14), Legal Events (7)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The present invention relates to animal restraining systems and, more particularly, to such systems which employ radio signals and a collar or the like which is worn by the animal and produces warning signals to prevent the animal from straying from a designated area.
Over the years a number of systems have been developed to provide means for limiting the movement of animals to keep them within an area such as a yard. Peck U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,421 describes a system in which a wire is utilized to define the boundary of the area in which the animal is to be restrained, and a current flows through this wire. The animal to be restrained wears a detector on a collar, and it receives a signal from the wire and will generate a warning shock to the animal if the animal approaches too closely to the boundary wire. This system has enjoyed some success, but has a number of limitations including the requirement for a length of exposed or buried wire carrying current and extending about the perimeter of the area.
Brose U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,120, which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, discloses a more sophisticated system in which the parameters of the area in which the animal is to be restrained are determined by evaluating a signal received by a central receiver sent from a transmitter on the animal, and this central unit may then transmit a signal to the device worn by the animal to generate a warning shock, sound or the like. This enables a more sophisticated determination of the area in which the animal is free to roam, and avoids the necessity for exposed wires about the perimeter and the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel system for retraining an animal to a defined area which employs a relatively simple transmitter, and a unit to be worn by the animal which is reactive to the strength of the signals from the transmitter antenna.
It is also an object to provide such a system in which the receiver unit worn by the animal is operative regardless of the orientation of the animal relative to the transmitter antenna and regardless of the presence of other objects about the animal.
Another object is to provide such a system in which the receiver may be fabricated readily from commercially available commercial components and in a relatively miniaturized form.
Still another object is to provide such a system which is reliable in performance and which is relatively long-lived.
It has now been found that the foregoing and related objects may be readily attained in an animal restraining system comprising a radio frequency transmitter for generating radio signals which is adapted to be located in or adjacent an area in which the animal is to be restrained. A transmitting antenna is operatively connected to the transmitter for radiating its radio frequency signals, and a unit adapted to be worn by the animal receives the signals.
The collar unit comprises a multiplicity of radio signal receivers each having a receiving antenna, with the axes of maximum sensitivity of the receiving antennae of the multiplicity of receivers being oriented in different directions. There is provided means for deriving a composite field strength based upon the field strengths of the radio signals received by the receiving antennae, and the derived field strength has less directional sensitivity than any of the component antennae. There is also included means for detecting when the derived composite field strength falls below predetermined values. Means in the collar unit is responsive when the composite field strength falls below a predetermined value for generating a warning signal to the animal.
Desirably, there are three receivers in the unit each employing a highly directional equally sensitive antenna, and the composite field strength is the vector sum of the detected field strength of the signals received by the antennae, which is derived from the square root of the sum of the squares of the field strengths of the signals received by the three antennae, which are oriented with mutually perpendicular (i.e., orthogonal) axes of maximum sensitivity.
Preferably, field strength signals from the receivers are time division multiplexed and converted to a DC voltage, desirably by an RMS to DC converter. The transmitting antenna is desirably of the magnetic loop type with a minimum electric dipole response, and the receiving antennae are of magnetic loop type with a ferrite core.
In the preferred assembly, the unit has means for detecting when the composite field strength falls below either of two predetermined values, and two signal generating means cooperating therewith.
The unit may include means for activating the second warning signal means if the animal remains in an area within the range bracketed by the first and second predetermined values for a period in excess of a predetermined time. It may also include means for disabling the second warning signal means if the animal does not leave the area bracketed by this range and return to an area with a field strength greater than the first predetermined value.
Desirably, there is included means for disabling both warning signal means if the animal remains in an area where the field strength is below the first predetermined value for a period in excess of a predetermined time, and the disabling means for the warning signal means is reset, and the system is reactivated upon return of the animal to an area wherein the signal field strength is above the first predetermined value.
Preferably, the unit includes means for analyzing the composite field strength for a period of time before the warning signal generating means are activated, and it is also preferred that the transmitter frequency is within the range of 80 KHz to 15 MHz. To perform the several evaluations, the unit employs a microprocessor.
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an environment utilizing the animal restraining system of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a dog collar unit embodying the receiver assembly of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a vector diagram depicting the field strength of signals received at several antennae and the derived composite field strength thereof;
FIG. 4 is a diagram in block and partially schematic form of a receiver assembly embodying the present invention;
FIG. 5a-5e are diagrams in graphic form of received signals plotted with respect to time;
FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the logic for operation of the processor of FIG. 4; and
FIG. 7 is a partially diagrammatic illustration of the transmitting antenna of FIG. 1.
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is exemplary of an environment in which the animal restraining system of the present invention may be used. A house designated H has a yard Y in which a dog D is permitted to roam. The system includes a transmitter T on or within house H having a coaxial cable C leading to an outdoor remote antenna A. The cable C is predominantly or completely underground as may be antenna A. The boundary lines S and Z separate three zones of radiation from antenna A based on radial distance from the antenna.
The system of the present invention comprises the fixed position transmitter T which continuously transmits a radio frequency (RF) signal and a mobile receiver assembly mounted in the collar unit 10 on the dog D. The receiver assembly receives the RF signal and measures the intensity or field strength of the received signal. Since the field strength of the transmitted signal falls off as the distance of the receiver assembly from the transmitter antenna A increases, it is possible to measure the distance from the antenna A to the receiver assembly and dog by measuring the field strength of the transmitted signal at the receiver assembly.
The dog D in FIG. 1 wears a collar unit generally designated by the numeral 10 seen in FIG. 2 which includes a strap 11 having a buckle 12 adapted to be secured about the dog's neck. The collar unit 10 has a receiver assembly generally designated by the numeral 13 disposed within the housing 16, and it has two electrodes 15 thereon which may be utilized for shocking or "zapping" the dog. The housing 16 will generally be suspended at the lower portion of the collar unit 10, i.e., below the dog's neck, and the housing 16 has an opening (or portion transparent to sound) 17 which permits the emission of an audible sound which the dog may hear. Also included within the housing 16 is a receiving system including a plurality of receivers each with an antenna oriented with its axis of maximum sensitivity at a predetermined angle as will hereinafter be described.
In the present invention, the receiver assembly 13 mounted on the dog collar 10 may determine the distance from the antenna A by measuring the received signal strengths at each of its receivers. However, if the orientation of the dog with respect to the transmitting antenna A were allowed to affect the measurement, the dog would not be able to learn what areas of the yard Y are permissible for its movement and what are not, since the signal strength would depend in large measure upon the direction in which the dog was facing, and also upon whether the receiver was on the side, top or bottom of the dog's neck and upon the dog's height.
Moreover, it is additionally desirable that the field pattern projected by the transmitter be uniform in all directions in order that a reasonably predictable circular containment area may be established and that the field pattern provide maximum radial differentiation in order that the radial distance from the transmitting antenna A be accurately and repeatably measurable. "Maximum radial differentiation" means that the field strength should have the largest percentage variation per unit distance from the transmitter. A given level of noise in the system will result in a smaller spatial measurement uncertainty in a system where the field strength changes more rapidly with distance from the transmitter.
Lastly, it is desirable that the transmitter and particularly the receiver should consume minimum power. The receiver assembly 13 mounted on the collar unit 10 of the dog as hereinafter described includes three separate receivers. With this arrangement, the length or strength of a received signal vector B in space with respect to different axes may be measured.
FIG. 3 is a vector diagram made up of substantially mutually perpendicular component vectors Bx, By, Bz respectively indicating received field strengths extending along the substantially perpendicular X, Y, and Z axes. The length of the resultant vector B is the square root of [(Bx)2 +(By)2 +(Bz)2 ]. Thus, by measuring the magnetic (electric) field components along each of the axes X, Y and Z of the receivers, information necessary to calculate a total field vector may be derived.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the receiver assembly 13 as contained within the housing 16 of the collar unit 10 as exemplified in FIG. 2.
As will hereinafter be more fully described, the receiver assembly 13 includes three antennae 21a, 22a and 23a, each of which is highly directional and whose axes of maximum sensitivity are substantially mutually perpendicular (i.e., orthogonal), the antennae are adapted to receive a radio frequency signal from antenna A transmitted from transmitter T at a central point as seen in FIG. 1.
The receiver assembly 13 also includes three receivers 21, 22 and 23 connected to receive the output of antennae 21a, 22a and 23a, respectively. The signals received at the receiving antennae 21 are all from the antenna A.
Each of the antennae 21a, 22a and 23a is preferably of a magnetic loop type wound on a ferrite core. Loop type antennae are preferred because the effective length of the magnetic loop type antenna may be enhanced by winding more turns of the antennae wire on the ferrite core without substantially increasing the physical size of the antenna and because the presence of a conducting object such as an animal does not substantially effect the magnetic field. Each of the antennae 21a, 22a and 23a are highly directional; the X antenna is aligned for maximum sensitivity along the X axis and near zero sensitivity along the Y and Z axes; the Y antenna is aligned for maximum sensitivity along the Y axis and near zero sensitivity along the X and Z axes; and the Z antenna is aligned for maximum sensitivity along the Z axis and near zero sensitivity along the X and Y axes. However, it will be understood that, dependent upon the orientation of the dog, each antenna may pick up transmitted signals of different field intensities. The X, Y, and Z axes are arbitrarily defined but must be mutually perpendicular for the preferred method of composite field strength determination.
As illustrated only with respect to the receiver 21, each of the receivers 21, 22 and 23 apply the received RF signals to the primary inputs of mixers 24 which also receive secondary inputs from the local oscillator 25. The mixers 24 of the several receivers 21, 22, 23 output to an amplifier/filters 26. If so desired, the local oscillator 25 may be common to all receiver mixers 24. Each of the receivers 21, 22, 23 outputs to a time division multiplexer 27 which is shown in simplified form as a three-way switch 28; however, the time division multiplexer 27 operates under the control of a clock 27a as will hereinafter be described. The output of the time division multiplexer 27 is applied to the limiter 30.
As will hereinafter be shown, if the axes of maximum sensitivity of antennae 21a, 22a, 23a are not orthogonal, a set of perfectly orthogonal signals could be derived from a mathematical manipulation of the signals of the non-orthogonal antennae for small perturbations from perfect orthogonality. This mathematical manipulation can be approximated by a linear sum which is easily implemented in analog circuitry as adders and subtractors with different gains. However, in order to reduce circuit complexity, cost, power consumption, and space it is desirable to position the antennae 21a, 22a, and 23a such that their axes of maximum sensitivity (or corresponding planes of minimum sensitivity) are mutually perpendicular, (i.e., a cube corner) so that their output signals in the respective receivers represent an orthogonal vector set.
Each of the receivers 21, 22, and 23 includes a conventional antenna resonance circuit (not shown) followed by the mixer 24, followed by an amplifier-filter 26. The antenna resonance circuitry makes the magnetic loop antenna part of an L-C resonant circuit, tuned to resonate at the chosen operating frequency of the transmitter. This resonator acts as a signal frequency transformer which boosts signal voltage within a narrow band of interest, while also boosting the apparent impedance of the antenna. Thus, the radiation resistance of the antennae appears larger to the mixer's primary input than it would without resonance. This may be viewed as boosting the input signal or increasing the signal to noise ratio for better performance of the system.
The amplifier filter 26 of each receiver provides enough gain of the signal from the mixer 24 so that it may be conveniently acted upon by available lower threshold detecting circuitry as hereinafter discussed. In addition to providing gain, the amplifier-filters 26 act to limit the frequency band width of the system, thereby maximizing the signal to noise ratio. Preferably, the output bandwidth is 200 Hertz or less. Because of the narrow band width and the high signal to noise ratio, the system is highly sensitive and can be made to detect very weak signals.
The output of each of the receivers 21, 22 and 23 is a low frequency sine wave whose amplitude is proportional to the field strength sensed by the particular receiver. These outputs are applied to the time division multiplexer 27 which samples at a rate which is fast compared to both the period of the low frequency sinusoidal receiver output signals and the averaging time constant of the RMS to DC converter 31. The multiplexer 27 may be a conventional 4066 analog multiplexer which is driven by a counter sequencer of a local clock signal, all generally shown by timing block 27a.
Since the sampling time at the time division multiplexer 27, (which may also be referred to as a chopping period) is short compared to the averaging time constant of the converter 31, it is preferable to make the chopping period short compared to the period of the sinusoidal receiver output signals.
The function of converter 31 is to produce a voltage which is proportional to the square root of the sum of the squares of the amplitudes of the sinusoidal outputs of the three receivers 21, 22, 23, which are proportional to the field strengths received at antennae 21a, 22a, and 23a. Such RMS to DC converter chips are commercially available for voltage measuring instrumentation, and a typical chip is that designated AD-537 and made by Analog Devices of Wilmington, Mass.
A limiter 30 is optional and is positioned between the output of the time division multiplexer 27 and the converter 31 to limit any pulse stretching effect of the averaging circuit in converter 31.
The output of the RMS to DC converter 31 is applied to threshold detectors 32 and 33; the threshold detector 32 detects when the vector field strength B (FIG. 3) of the received signal(s) is less than a first threshold T1, while threshold detector 33 detects when the field strength B is less than a second threshold value T2.
If the measured field strength as determined by converter 31 is above both thresholds, the dog is determined to be in what may be referred to as the safe zone (within the boundary S of FIG. 1). If the field strength B falls below the upper threshold T1 but is still above the lower threshold T2, the dog is said to be in a warning zone (the zone between S and Z of FIG. 1). If the field strength signal B falls below both the T1 and T2 thresholds, the dog is said to be in the zap or shock zone (outside boundary Z of FIG. 1).
The outputs of the threshold detectors 32, 33 are applied to a processor 34 as hereinafter described, and it may generate a signal to a shock or zap circuit 35 having the collar electrodes 15 therein or to an audio beep circuit 36 having an output connected to an audio device such as an electroacoustic transducer 37. Depending upon the detected threshold, the processor 34 will apply signals to audio circuit 36 or shocking circuit 35.
The audio circuit 36 comprises an amplifier 38 which outputs to an audio device 37 such as a piezoelectric beeper. The shocking circuit 35 comprises an amplifier 39, which outputs to a transistor 43 having a flyback transformer 44 in its collector circuit which applies a high shocking voltage to the collar electrodes 15.
The processor 34 also receives an input from a low battery detector 45, which monitors the battery 46 supplying electrical potential to the various circuits of FIG. 4.
Turing now to FIGS. 5a-5e, these show various example wave forms which might occur in the receiving system of FIG. 4, and they should also be considered in conjunction with the vector diagram of FIG. 3. FIG. 5a represents the field strength By of the RMS signal received at antenna 22a of the receiver 22; FIG. 5b represents the field strength of the signal received at antenna 23a of the receiver 23; and FIG. 5c represents the field strength of the signal received at antenna 21a of receiver 21. FIG. 5d depicts the output of multiplexer 27 as it sequentially samples the outputs of the receivers in the order of X, Z, and Y. FIG. 5e depicts the signal B from converter 31 which is indicative the square root of
[(B.sub.x).sup.2 +(B.sub.y).sup.2 +(B.sub.z).sup.2 ]
and gives a measure of the distance of the receiver assembly 13 of FIG. 4 from the transmitting antenna A of FIG. 1.
Although it is preferable that the three antennae 21a, 22a and 23a have orthogonal sensitivities, (i.e., mutually perpendicular), this is not absolutely necessary. As previously pointed out, the resultant vector B may be derived as the square root of the sum of the squares of the orthogonal component field strengths. Assuming that the received field strengths at the receiving antennae are not each proportional to only one of the component vectors Bx, By and Bz, but have some sensitivity to the other components of the field, then three equations in three unknowns can be expressed in three equations:
A.sub.x =C.sub.xx B.sub.x +C.sub.xy B.sub.y +C.sub.xz B.sub.z
A.sub.y =C.sub.yx B.sub.x +C.sub.yy B.sub.y +C.sub.yz B.sub.z
A.sub.z =C.sub.zx B.sub.x +C.sub.zy B.sub.y +C.sub.zz B.sub.z
wherein the C's are constants, A is the signal from the antenna (non-orthogonal) and B is the derived (orthogonal) component vector. These equations can be solved for the vectors Bx, By and Bz (FIG. 3), and the resultant field vector B can then be derived as the square root of the sum of the squares of the derived component vectors Bx, By and Bz.
The processor 34 contains various timing circuits for determining elapsed time with regard to the location of the animal with respect to the antenna A.
FIG. 6 exemplifies a flow chart of the logic of the processor 34. The start of the program is indicated at 50 when the dog is permitted to be outside and the transmitter T is turned on. If the dog is in the safe zone bounded by S in FIG. 1, no action takes place unless the low battery detector 45 determines the battery voltage to be low, as indicated by block 51. In this instance, the processor 34 activates the beeper 36 and amplifier circuit 38 for a brief interval (for example, one quarter of a second every thirty seconds as indicated by block 52). The low battery beep tone may be of a significantly different frequency than the warning tone so that the dog will be less likely to fear that he is about to be shocked. The low battery beep is indicated by the block 53.
If the dog wanders into the warning zone, i.e., between lines S and Z in FIG. 1, the processor 34 through amplifier 38 and audio device 37 will begin to generate warning signals. If the dog returns to the safe zone, the beeping stops and everything returns to the initial state as exemplified by block 54. If the dog stays in the warning zone too long (between lines S and Z of FIG. 1), the processor 34 will treat the dog as though it had wandered into the shock or zap zone as indicated by block 63. If the dog ignores the warning beeps and crosses boundary Z into the zap zone as indicated by block 60, the dog will immediately be zapped.
The warning beeping continues when the dog is zapped. Also at this time, a timer as exemplified by block 56, gives an opportunity for the dog to return to the safe zone before a second zap signal is generated. If the dog does not return, it is again zapped and given another moment to return to the safe zone. This process will repeat until the dog returns to the safe zone as indicated by block 57 or until the zap timer 55 times out. In the event of such return, it will be determined whether the safe timer has timed out, as indicated by the block 58. If the same timer has timed out, the system resets as indicated by a signal over line 59 to the start 50.
The threshold detector 33 will determine whether the dog is in the zap zone as indicated by block 60 and, if so, a signal will be given to zap the dog as indicated by block 61. If, at the time indicated by block 57, the dog is not in the safe zone, the safe timer indicated by the block 62 will be reset. This process will repeat until the dog either returns to the safe zone or the zap timer times out.
If the dog returns to the safe zone for the amount of time specified by the safe timer, the system resets to its initial condition. If the dog endures the zaps for the full count (until the zap timer times out) and runs away, the system will go into a dormant state (loop of 62 and 57) until the dog returns to the safe zone. While the system is in the dormant state, the receiver assembly 13 is not able to beep or zap the dog.
If the dog has left the zap zone and the warning timer has not timed out as determined by block 63, and the dog is not in the safe zone as determined by block 54, the system will stop zapping the dog.
Additionally, after the warning timer 63 has not timed out, a warning beep may be given through the amplifier 38 and the beeper or audio device 37 as indicated by the block 65. At this time, if the dog is in the safe zone as determined by block 64, the system will be re-started on the premise that the dog has returned to the safe zone.
The foregoing explanation of the processor 34 is based upon an exemplary program which may be utilized to control the movements of the dog in connection with the restraining assembly of the present invention. Other programs may be utilized with other dependencies on the dog's presence in the safe, warning and zapping or shocking zones and the timing or speed of the dog's movement between these zones.
Although a general overall program has been shown for processor 34, including timing circuits to terminate the shocking action if the dog leaves and remains outside the area in which it is to be confined, it is to be understood that the primary purpose of the invention is to restrain the dog in the safe zone, and other programs may be implemented.
The system of the present invention is designed to provide a uniform circular field pattern with respect to the transmitting antennae A, good radial accuracy, and minimum interference from objects in close proximity to the receivers. This is achieved by selection of the wave length and therefor the frequency of the transmitter operating frequency. If a short wave length (e.g., 49 MHz which has a wavelength of about 6.1 meters) is utilized, then common objects may act as resonators and distort the field strength pattern. Any conducting object with any dimension on the order of a quarter of a wave length or more may act as some form of significant RF resonator or reflector to the transmitted wave. For example, at a transmitting frequency of approximately thirty Megahertz or more, a person or a dog may act as a significant resonator and significantly distort the field. Thus, the dog's orientation significantly affects the field strength at the dog's collar. The presence of conducting objects including people near the dog significantly affects the field strength of the signal at the dog's collar. Thus, at a selected relatively high frequency and even if there is a perfect field strength measuring receiver, it is not always possible to tell unambiguously how far the dog is from the antenna without knowing which way the dog is pointing, and who and what happens to be near the dog.
This problem may be obviated by operating the system at a much lower frequency (longer wavelength). For example, if a frequency of approximately one Megahertz is used, the wave length is on the order of approximately one thousand feet so that even objects like a house do not drastically distort the field, and common movable objects have virtually no effect on the field. Even more importantly, the orientation of the dog has no significant effect on the field.
In order to be able to sharply differentiate one distance (from the transmitter) from another, it is desirable to have the field strength fall off sharply in the region where one wishes to make a distinction (for instance, between "dog is safe", and "dog is out of bounds"). In the far field of any radio frequency transmitter, both the electrical and magnetic field strengths fall off at the rate of 1/r, where r is the radial distance from the transmitter. In the near field, however, the magnetic and electric fields fall off more sharply. If the source of the field (i.e., the transmitter antenna) is a magnetic dipole, (i.e., loop-type antenna) then the magnetic field falls off as 1/r3 in the near field, and the electric field falls off as 1/r2. If the source of the field (i.e., the antenna) is an electric dipole, then the magnetic field falls off as 1/r2 in the near field, and the electric field falls off as 1/r3. In either case, these values fall off until they become coincident with the 1/r strengths of the far field at the near-to-far-field transition radius, which occurs at a radius of ##EQU1## wavelengths from transmit antenna.
Since the 1/r2 field and 1/r3 field both are much more sharply differentiated in space than a 1/r field, they will give the system better accuracy in the presence of noise. Therefore, it is preferable that the wavelength used be not only long enough that objects such as people and dogs do not perturb the field, but also long enough that the proposed boundary be within the near field, making the boundary more accurately defined and repeatable. Once again, an exemplary frequency of 1 MHz is well suited, since the near-to-far-field transition radius is about 157 feet, and the preferred system is designed to work at a distance of up to about 100 feet.
The desirable operating frequency is chosen as a function of the desired control radius, and is normally in the range of 80 KHz to 20 MHz. The boundary becomes between 2 and 3 times less accurate when the wavelength is less than 2 times the control radius. Thus, for a system designed for a control radius of 20 to 200 feet, the optimon operating frequency would range between 800 KHz and 8 MHz. If the operating frequency goes above 10 MHz, the performance of ferrite core loop antennas begins to degrade. If the operating frequency falls below about 70 kHz, it becomes difficult to receive the signal at 100 feet without transmitting at more power than the FCC will allow without a license. The overall desired operating frequency is thus between 70 kHz and 20 MHz.
Ideally, the collar unit would contain an antenna which was equally sensitive to all orientations of the field. Unfortunately, such a totally omni-directional antenna is not feasible, and real life antennas are often quite directional. Through the use of multiple highly directional antennae, the present invention implements a true omni-directional field strength measuring device.
One may visualize the electric and magnetic field lines of radio waves as field lines moving perpendicularly to their axes through space. An electric dipole antenna may be used to sense the electric field lines, or a magnetic dipole (loop) antenna may be used to sense the magnetic field lines. In the case of the electric dipole antenna, it is most sensitive when perfectly aligned with the electric field lines, and has no response if aligned perpendicular to the electric field lines. In the case of the magnetic dipole (loop) antenna, it has maximum sensitivity when aligned so the magnetic field lines are aligned with the axis of the loop, and it has no response to magnetic field lines aligned perpendicularly to the axis of the loop.
Simply linearly combining the outputs of multiple antennae does not solve the directionality problem, because there will always be some combination of field strengths in different directions at different phases that will cause a zero output from the combined antenna, although the total field strength is far from zero.
If it is desired to measure the strength of a field line in space although its orientation is unknown, the strength of the field line may be considered as the length of a vector pointed along the field line. Any vector may be considered in Cartesian coordinates as the sum of three mutually perpendicular component vectors, referred to as the x vector (of length Bx), the y vector (of length By), and the z vector (of length Bz), as illustrated in FIG. 3. The length of the total vector is the square root of [(Bx)2 +(By)2 +(Bz)2 ]. This is a geometric concept which is independent of the orientation in space which is chosen to set up the coordinate system so long as our chosen x, y and z axes are mutually perpendicular, i.e., orthogonal. Thus, one may choose any mutually perpendicular x, y and z axes and, if the magnetic (or electric) field component is measured along each of these axes, the information is provided to calculate the total field.
Thus, the receiver assembly of the present invention desirably uses three highly directional receivers (one sensitive only to the X-oriented field, one sensitive only to the y-oriented field, and one sensitive only to the z-oriented field). A signal proportional to the square root of the sum of the squares of their respective received signal strengths is derived. By using three highly directional receivers, with their outputs nonlinearly combined it appears as though a totally omni-directional antenna were being employed.
As will be appreciated, the electric field is more sharply differentiated in the near field of an electric dipole transmit antenna and the magnetic field is more sharply differentiated in the near field of a magnetic dipole transmit antenna. In order to obtain maximum radial differentiation and accordingly maximum accuracy and repeatability, it is desirable to use an electric dipole receive antenna if an electric dipole transmit antenna is used, and a magnetic loop receiving antenna as previously described if a magnetic loop transmit antenna is used. Although unlike antennae may be used in the transmitter and receiver, the accuracy and repeatability will be slightly degraded.
Loop-type antenae are used because the effective length of a magnetic-loop type antenna may be increased by winding more turns on the antenna coil, without substantially increasing the physical size of the antenna, and because the transmitted magnetic field is not disturbed by objects such as animals or people, whereas the electric field is. Each of these antennae is highly directional. The x antenna is aligned for maximum sensitivity along the X axis (and near zero sensitivity along the Y and Z axes). The Y antenna is aligned for maximum sensitivity along the Y axis (and near zero sensitivity along the X and Z axes). The Z antenna is aligned for maximum sensitivity along the Z axis (and near zero sensitivity along the X and Y axes). The x, Y and Z axes are all mutually perpendicular.
If the sensitivity of the antennae were not perfectly orthogonal, a set of perfectly orthogonal signals could be derived from a mathematical manipulation of the signals from the not-perfectly-orthogonal antennae. For small pertubations from perfect orthogonality, this mathematical manipulation can be well approximated by a linear sum, which is easily implemented in analog circuitry as adders and subtracters with different gains. However, in order to reduce circuit complexity, cost, power consumption and space, it is desirable to position the antennae so that their output signals already represent an orthogonal vector set. For any application which would require a higher degree of accuracy in the alignment of the antennae, summing circuitry with potentiometrically variable coefficients may be used to give final precise tweaks to derive more perfectly orthogonal components. This is not deemed necessary for the present application.
To minimize or avoid the potential for the radiated RF signal to follow the cable C to the house and thence through the power lines, a magnetic loop type transmit antenna is preferred because it has an electric dipole field at the antenna which is much smaller, and the electric field guided back to the house is also smaller. With such a system, it is possible to have a safe zone which extends only a few feet under or over the power lines.
However, a magnetic loop antenna still has an electric dipole moment since it may be pictured as an inductor with a radio frequency AC voltage on it. Since the antenna acts as an inductor, there is a continuously distributed voltage drop across the coil. If the antenna were only one turn, the voltage at a point half way about the circumference would vary at half the amplitude of the voltage being applied to the one turn of wire. Since the coil has a diameter, this point with the varying voltage is at a distance A, from the ground shield of the cable, so the antenna may be regarded not only as a magnetic loop antenna, but also as a (simultaneous) electric dipole antenna of a length A. As in the case of the single-ended electric dipole antenna, significant energy is guided back to the house by the cable, and undesirable coupling to the utility lines can occur.
The loop antenna cannot simply be encased in a shield because it would source no magnetic field, and it would not transmit. A split shield allows the antenna to source magnetic field, but also significantly reduces electric field.
To provide a well defined area, it is preferable that the transmitter antennae transmit a uniform circular field pattern suitable for maintaining the dog within a given radial distance of the antenna. The split shield magnetic loop antenna as shown in FIG. 7 is designed to provide minimum coupling to utility lines and a uniform circular field pattern with respect to the transmitting antennae A, good radial accuracy, and minimum interference from objects in close proximity to the receivers. This also requires selection of a desirable wave length or frequency of the signal generated by the transmitting antennae A.
The transmitter antenna A is connected to coaxial cable C from (FIG. 1) the transmitter T. The conductor 70 of the loop antenna A is connected to the shield of cable C at point 71. The loop 70 of the antenna A has two spaced substantially semi-circular shields 74 and 75 which are connected to the shield of cable C as exemplified by lines 72 and 73.
As seen, the two shields 74 and 75 each run almost half way around the loop coil (to the side opposite from where the cable C connects), but they do not meet on the other side and a gap is left intentionally. Were the gap not there, the split shields would form a shorted loop, and this would cancel out the magnetic field the antenna is trying to source. Since the shields do not meet, no loop current flows in them, so they have minimal interaction with the magnetic field intended to be sourced. However, they are electrically connected to ground. Since no significant currents flow in the shields, they do not have much inductance voltage drop, and they remain close to ground potential. This nearly cancels the electric dipole moment of the loop antenna, and the minute electric dipole moment that comes from the gap in the shield is insignificant and can be ignored. The split-shield loop antenna has been tested and no safe zone was found near power lines, provided good isolation techniques were used to keep the transmitter circuit from coupling directly to the utility through its power cord.
This configuration provides an antenna which is of the magnetic loop type but substantially cancels any electric dipole effect and coupling of the loop to the utility power lines. This antenna provides a uniform transmitted field pattern which defines the area of restraint of the animal. The conductor of antenna A is insulated in a suitable jacket for underground installation.
Each receiver consists of antenna resonance circuitry, followed by a mixer, followed by an amplifier-filter. The antenna resonance circuitry makes the magnetic loop antenna part of an L-C resonant circuit, tuned to resonate at the chosen operating frequency of the system. This resonator acts as a single-frequency "transformer" which boosts signal voltage within the narrow band of interest, while also boosting the apparent impedance of the antenna. The radiation resistance of the antenna appears much larger to the input electronics than it would without the resonance. This may be viewed as boosting the input signal or increasing the signal-to-noise performance of the system. Since the receiver circuitry should consume very little power, and since incremental input impedance of bipolar transistor circuitry generally increases as operating currents decrease, the input impedance of the first stage of the electronics (in this case, the mixer) of a very low-power system is generally very high.
If the input resistance of the input stage is larger than the output resistance of the antenna, the noise of the system will be dominated by the input electronics, which is a waste. In order to derive the best signal-to-noise performance, it is desirable to transform the antenna impedance until it is on the order of the input impedance of the electronics. The lower the power of the circuitry, the more the antenna impedance should be boosted by the input resonator.
Following each input resonator is a fully balanced mixer, with an integral RF gain of 40. The mixer is implemented as a Gilbert Cell, which multiplies the (RF) input from the antenna resonator by a periodic waveform generated by the local oscillator. This multiplication process translates the band of the input frequency information which is around the frequency of the local oscillator down to baseband. Thus, if the difference between the local oscillator frequency and the transmitter frequency were 10 Hz, the output of the mixer would include a 10 Hz sine wave. The output of the mixer is very broad band, and it contains many frequencies not of interest. The closer the frequency of the local oscillator can be held to the transmitter frequency, the more the unneeded bandwidth can be rejected. Narrowing the bandwidth of the receiver is desirable because the background noise in a narrow region of the AM broadcast band (which is the frequency range in which the unit desirably operates) can be considered to be constant, and thus the signal-to-noise ratio increases as the bandwidth decreases.
If position determination is required within a tenth of a second, the measurement bandwidth must be on the order of 3 Hz. If the dog is moving around, the received signal is changing in amplitude: this is inherently an amplitude modulation, and it will have the frequency spectrum of an amplitude modulation.
The minimum acceptable bandwidth for the receiver is on the order of 6 Hz, but implementation dependent factors may require the bandwidth to be even wider. First, the temperature of the receiver may vary over quite a wide range, depending on the environment of the dog (snow, sun, etc.). The design temperature range for the system under consideration is 0� F. to 120� F. Standard AT cut quartz crystals drift about 50 parts per million over this temperature range, so that even if the local oscillator is a good quartz oscillator, it will require an additional 50 Hz bandwidth for the receiver. Producing an economical low power oscillator will result in even more drift, resulting in a bandwidth on the order of twice as wide. A low-cost unit employing a low-power crystal oscillator will require about 100 Hz bandwidth at the receiver. Using phase locked loop to track transmitted carrier frequency would allow a narrower receive bandwidth than a non-tracking oscillator. Such performance was not deemed necessary for the system under consideration, but should be considered within the scope of the invention. Temperature compensation of the oscillator for improved performance is also to be considered within the scope of the present invention.
The amplifier filter circuit should provide enough gain to the signal so that it may be conveniently acted upon by commonly available low-power threshold detecting circuitry (for example, low power comparators of Schmitt Trigger circuits). In addition to providing gain, this circuitry acts to limit the frequency bandwidth of the system, thereby maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio. Because of the narrow bandwidth and high signal-to-noise ratio, the system is highly sensitive, and it can be made to detect very weak signals.
In order to prevent undesirable feedback oscillation, it is desirable to frequency-shift the signal between successive blocks of amplification, so that, even if the signal couples back, it will couple back at the wrong frequency to make any difference. This is the practice used in common superheterodyne radio receivers. Another technique which can be employed to reduce such coupling is differential amplification, so that only the difference between two signals is amplified. If a stray signal is fed back almost equally to the two inputs, the difference signal which results across the inputs will be small and the system will have a high common mode rejection.
The Gilbert Cell mixers used in the receivers of the collar unit employ both of these techniques. Because the Gilbert Cell has a differential input, any signal that feeds back equally to both sides of an antenna will not be picked up. In addition, the Gilbert Cell mixers give a gain of 40 to the RF signal picked up by the antenna before translating the signal down to baseband.
Ignoring the noise present (which is valid if the signal-to-noise ratio is high), the output of each receiver is a low frequency sine wave with an amplitude proportional to the field strength sensed by that particular receiver. Through more complicated means (in-phase and quadrature demodulation, for example), it would be possible to derive DC representations of the x, y, and z field strengths, but this is unnecessary in the present design, because the RMS-to-DC converter can perform its mathematical job almost as well on chopped sine waves as on chopped DC (provided the period of the sine waves is short compared to the averaging time constant of the RMS-to-DC converter). The DC levels of Bx, By, and Bz may be thought of as representative of the amplitudes of the actual sine waves at those points in the circuit.
The time division multiplexer samples the output signals from the three receivers at a rate which is fast compared to both the period of the sine wave signals themselves, and the averaging time constant of the RMS-to-DC converter. The sampling must be either fast or slow compared to the frequency of the sine waves, or significant aliasing can occur, which can result in significant sinusoidal variations in the derived field strength signal at the output of the RMS-to-DC converter. Since the sample time of the time division multiplexer (also referred to as the chopping period) must be short compared to the averaging time constant of the RM$-to-DC converter (in order to avoid output ripple), it is desirable to make the chopping period short compared to the period of the sinusoidal receiver output signals as well.
Two threshold detectors serve to determine which of three zones of interest the dog is in: the safe zone, the warning zone, or the zap zone. If the measured field strength is above both thresholds, the dog is said to be in the safe zone. If the signal falls below the upper (T1) threshold, but is still above the lower (T2) threshold, the dog is said to be in the warning zone. If the field strength signals falls below both the T1 and T2 thresholds, the dog is said to be in the zap zone. The outputs of the T1 and T2 threshold detectors may be considered to be digital. As previously indicated, these digital signals are fed to a microprocessor (or equivalent digital circuitry capable of implementing the warning/zap algorithm outlined in the flow chart).
As will be readily appreciated, the circuitry for the collar unit may be fabricated relatively easily from readily available components and in miniaturized form. Moreover, the components may be selected so that they require minimal power to enable relatively long-lived operation on the incorporated battery. The transmitter may be of conventional construction as may be the coaxial cable and the modified split ring antenna.
To assemble the system in any given location, it is necessary only to connect the transmitter to a suitable power source, run the cable to the center of the region in which the dog or other animal is to be restrained, and locate the antenna preferably below ground. The battery condition indicator enables the owner to determine when the battery should be replaced to ensure continued operation.
The preferred circuitry and algorithms are designed to avoid creating an impediment to the return of the dog to the safe area since no zapping or beeping will occur during such return.
Although the illustrated embodiment uses three receivers with highly directional antenna disposed orthogonally, other antenna configurations may be employed albeit with greater complexity for the mathematical derivation of the composite field strength of the field strengths of the component antennae.
The transmitting antenna will most usually and desirably be a separate element in order to achieve optimum results. However, it is also possible to make the antenna an integral part of the transmitter such as an inherent part of the transmitter oscillator. As used herein, the transmitter antenna may be separate or integrated except as otherwise described. In addition, it is understood that multiple transmitting antennae may be employed to produce safe zones with other than a circular shape.
Moreover, the transmitter may be located within the confines of the protected zone as well as outwardly thereof as shown in the illustrated embodiments. If located within the area, it should be protected from the environment as well as the restricted animal.
Although the receiver assembly has been illustrated as mounted on a collar, it will be appreciated that the unit could be worn by the animal in other forms such as a belt, helmet or cap, bracelet, or other article which may be placed in a secure fashion on the animal.
Although the restraining system of the present invention has been described in detail with respect to a dog, it will be appreciated that it may also be employed with other animals such as horses and cats. Moreover, it may also be employed to restrict movement of children and mentally ill persons, or to assist in confining persons in home confinement programs. For applications to humans, the types of warning signals generated by the receiver would be modified appropriately. The term "animal" as used herein is intended to encompass humans as well as domesticated and other animals.
Thus, it can be seen from the foregoing detailed specification and attached drawings, that the animal retraining system of the present invention is simple in construction and reliable in operation. The microprocessor contained within the collar unit is adapted to process rapidly the information from the receivers to determine what signals, if any, are required to be generated, and to avoid the undesirable aspects of unlimited warning signals.
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|U.S. Classification
|119/721, 340/573.3
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Dec 10, 1990
Owner name: TORRINGTON PRODUCT VENTURES, INC., 227 COTTON HILL
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:WEINSTEIN, LEE D.;REEL/FRAME:005540/0981
Effective date: 19901207
|May 8, 1995
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Mar 21, 1997
Owner name: XONIX BOUNDARIES, INC., NEW JERSEY
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:TORRINGTON PRODUCTS VENTURES, INC.;REEL/FRAME:008401/0463
Effective date: 19970311
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|Jun 11, 2003
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Nov 26, 2003
|Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees
|Jan 20, 2004
|Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee
Effective date: 20031126


text:
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday tried to reassure Britain over its role in Afghanistan, following WikiLeaks disclosures of disappointment at the performance of British forces.
Speaking at a security conference in Bahrain, Clinton said she wanted to express her "deep respect and admiration for the extraordinary efforts" made by British forces in Afghanistan.
She said she wanted to express "our regret if anything that was said by anyone suggests to the contrary."
Asked if she thought British troops were up to the task in Afghanistan, Clinton said, "I certainly do."
In US diplomatic cables revealed by WikiLeaks, US and Afghan officials slam British troops over their efforts in the restive Helmand province of Afghanistan, accusing them of making "a mess of things."
The Guardian newspaper on Friday published a raft of leaked memos in which senior officials, including Afghan President Hamid Karzai, criticised British troops for their inability to impose security in the southern province.
In a memo sent in April 2007, General Dan McNeill, the then commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, told a US drug-control officer that he "was particularly dismayed by the British effort.
"They had made a mess of things in Helmand, their tactics were wrong," McNeill said.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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MOVIE SYNOPSIS [ General Audiences ] Feature film of Maxwell Cain and Nicholas Cain. Was presented to the public in 2009, it is a production of USA. You can watch Ecoheartland online on TV cable or theaters with original audio in English at different dates. This film premiered in theaters in 2009.
Rating: 5 by 10 users./
Runtime: 59 minutes
Maxwell Cain and Nicholas Cain.
59-minute film (full movie) directed by Maxwell Cain and Nicholas Cain.
The original audio of Ecoheartland has dialogues in Dolby Digital, it was produced in USA.
It premiered in cinemas or television in 2009.
Screenplay written by Nicholas Cain and Maxwell Cain.
Maxwell Cain.
Maxwell Cain and Nicholas Cain.
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See the page of this full movie, Ecoheartland in FULLTV Movies.


text: Email email@example.com if you know the athlete, school and weight for the match with question marks. All advertisements are part of the permanent video file of this activity. The advertisement may become out of date. Solar Universe Solar Universe Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


text:
Jan 14, 2014 John Hofilena Politics 3
In an interview with CNN on Monday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said that Japan's leaders must not engage in any actions that put their past apologies to South Korea in a bad light. Japan had already made a number of official public apologies for its colonial rule over Korea, namely the "Kono statement" and the "Murayama statement" – so called because of former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono and former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama who spoke these words – and both statements have been the basis of tolerable relations between the two countries.
"We were able to move forward with Korea's relationship with Japan over the years because Japanese political leaders have clearly stated through the Murayama, as well as the Kono statement, their correct understanding of history, and this has allowed us to move our relationship forward," Park said. "I hope the current Japanese leaders will make sure they inherit the Murayama and the Kono statements and refrain from words and acts that put their sincerity into doubt," she added. Currently, bilateral ties between the two East Asian neighbors are somewhat cold due mainly to Korea's claims that Japan still refuses to address grievances over sexual slavery and other atrocities committed during its 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula, and a territorial dispute over the South Korea-controlled islets of Dokdo, which Japan claims as Takeshima.
When CNN asked Park whether she would shake hands with Abe at the World Economic Forum in Davos later this month, Park said that there are greater issues at play in the relations between Seoul and Tokyo. "This isn't simply a matter of whether we would engage in a handshake," she replied. "If you put yourself in Korea's shoes, I would in fact ask the question of whether you can actually pretend nothing has happened and just move forward," she added. Lately, relations between Japan and South Korea took another blow after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a recent visit to the highly controversial Yasukuni war memorial, a shrine that honors Japan's war dead, including those considered as World War II criminals. South Korea and China have always taken issue with such visits to Yasukuni, saying that Japan suffers from a skewed view of history. "I hope to move toward a future-oriented relationship with Japan based on correct understanding of history. In fact, it has been my desire to leave to my future generations a legacy of friendship and a legacy of being able to work together," Park said in the interview.
[via Yonhap News]
South Korea President Park said "I hope the current Japanese leaders will make sure they inherit the Murayama and the Kono statements and refrain from words and acts that put their sincerity into doubt"
And I agree with her. This is a fair and proportionate statement. A type of statement that I would like to read more often from her!
"In fact, it has been my desire to leave to my future generations a legacy of friendship and a legacy of being able to work together"
Amen to that!
But when the Yonhap Journal article states "Japan's refusal to address long-running grievances over sexual slavery and other atrocities committed during its 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula", then I think South Korea has some introspection to do as well, and take under account the 1965 Normalization treaty between South Korea and Japan which addressed all issues of WWII precisely to draw a line and start anew. This is a homework for South Korea. Japan's homework is to use Chidorigafuchi cemetery as official place to pray for the war dead by Japanese official in lieu of the Yasukuni shrine. Then when relations between the 2 countries will be really friendly, it will be time for Japan to give up Dokdo/Takeshima.
I agree FE. President Park has made a fair, balanced, and forward-looking statement.
Park has at least a little common sense in the matter, something Abe should follow. But I believe that no matter how Japan behaves, the Korean people just won't/can't let go of their hatred. Unfortunately, the hatred is ingrained at an early age, and it is impossible to enter a rational discussion on the topic without tempers flaring. I have lived in Korea for seven years and have learned to never broach the subject of Japan out of fear of being tarred and feathered.
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Metra 70-1785 1995 AUDI S6 Car Radio Wire Harness
1995 AUDI S6 Radio Wire Harness
Radio Wire Harness for AUDI S6 1995
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Monna Lea Bryant is an associate at Sniffen & Spellman, P.A. Ms. Bryant is admitted to the Florida Bar and practices in the areas of Labor and Employment Law, CivilRights Litigation, and Administrative Law. Ms. Bryant earned her Juris Doctorate from the Emory University School of Law in 2015, where she actively participated in various organizations and served as President of the Student Bar Association. While in law school, Ms. Bryant clerked for the judges of the Second Judicial Circuit Court of Florida and served as a law clerk to the Firm.
Ms. Bryant received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from The Florida State University in 2011, cum laude. While attending FSU, Ms. Bryant competed on the Florida State Equestrian Team.


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EastEnders fans will see Danny Pennant pay another visit to Walford next week as he attends the grand opening of Ian Beale's new restaurant.
Ian (Adam Woodyatt) is eager to impress city banker Danny, hoping that he might agree to invest in the business.
When everyone heads outside for the grand unveiling of the restaurant's sign, Ian is stunned to see that the name has been changed from 'Ian Beale @ Le Square' to 'Scarlett's'.
With Ian's scheming investor Janine Butcher responsible for the last-minute change, she advises him to buy her out if he doesn't like it. However, Ian knows that he can only afford to get rid of Janine if Danny agrees to offer up some cash in her place.
Later, things get even worse for Ian as restaurant waitress Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) accidentally spills drinks all over Danny, having secretly consumed one too many herself.
Ian apologises to Danny and hopes that this hasn't scuppered his chances of an investment. However, Ian is left disappointed when Danny informs him that his job is to find people to invest - and he certainly won't be asking anyone to invest in this restaurant!
Danny, played by Gary Lucy, first joined EastEnders last autumn for a love triangle storyline with Christian Clarke and Syed Masood. He is now re-joining as a regular character.
EastEnders airs Danny's return visit on Friday, June 7 at 9pm on BBC One. He appears as a regular from July.
Digital Spy Soap Scoop video - press play below to watch Amie Parker-Williams reveal gossip on Tina's baby decision in Coronation Street, a betrayal revealed in EastEnders, a parenting shock in Emmerdale and bad news for a long-standing Hollyoaks character.


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It's interesting where we find our peace.
When we were children we found whatever it was that transports us to another dimension. For me it was reading, which is why the written word has always transformed my prosaic day to day life into something much more poetic. The ability of 26 letters and a handful of punctuation, limited like a simple palette of colors but nowhere near as infinite as the endless array of brushes and pigments and mediums available to other artists, to be arranged and rearranged to create thought, feelings, and words still blows my mind.
I'm still mesmerized by words. How can all the things of the universe as well as the exquisite beauty and ugliness of life and death, the fleeting moments of love and hate, the boring moments of laundry and chores, how can they all be expressed through a jumble of 26 letters, intent, and effort? I don't think there is anything more magical then that. While I sit here and eat my breakfast of eggs, salsa, and tortillas, I can literally be transported into someone else's mind and experience the world the way they see it, how they feel it, and how they experience this fleeting breath of air we call life.
Other children found this same wonder I feel toward the written word in painting or dancing or sculpture or sports. The transformation of the prosaic into the fantastic, in whatever way you find it, is what we are drawn to. It's what makes life holy, religions flourish, and art indispensable.
I think of an ancient hunter, his mind still as he sits by the quietly murmuring stream, his senses open to information, his imagination conjuring up scenes of prey animals in the underbrush. Our genes carry his experiences, and we too share the same intimate connections between our selves and the wider and wilder world. In the thrill of the hunt and a conscious awareness of the life that he will take, the soul is transported beyond the static self into the ecstatic. After the hunt, the hunter picked up rocks to scratch what he saw, what he felt, what all had happened. From that point onward we began the evolution of the most human of all processes, sharing our lives.
I think I love the limitations that writing imposes on my creativity. Here is a pile of oddly shaped symbols, with some dots and squiggles, here is a piece of paper and pen, or a laptop and chair, and now I must create something out of thin air with whatever is swirling within my head. As any person attempting a creative act knows, the hardest part is to make something simple that truly conveys what you are trying to say, or what you wish to portray. After years of putting pen to paper, I probably won't ever stop, and only with repetition and practice does it all seem a little easier.
Well, I gotta go feed the pigs.


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The aim of the programme is to examine the social roles performed today by cultural production, circulation and transformation.
This unit consists of a multidisciplinary research group linked to the Centre for Sociological Studies (CESAU) at Aarhus University dealing more broadly with the role of affect in contemporary cultural analysis across various fields.
Coordinator: Britta Timm Knudsen
Forskningsenheden om 'kropspolitik' eller 'body politics' arbejder med det 'ekstra-repræsentationelle' ved at fokusere på nyere former for politisk mobilisering og affektiv styring, der sætter kroppe på spil og i spil.
Deltagere/kontaktpersoner: Britta Timm Knudsen, Christoffer Kølvraa, Carsten Stage
Creativity is no longer exclusively linked to artistic creation. This research group investigates the concept of creativity through the three main areas of 1) Creativity, theatre and education, 2) Creativity and screen production, and 3) Creative industry and culture production.
Coordinators: Ida Krøgholt, Anne Marit Waade
Coordinator: Dorthe Refslund Christensen
This research unit focuses on the aesthetics and culture of fandom and celebrities from the perspectives of cross-media communication and media convergent culture.
Coordinator: Matthias Stephan, Research Assistant
This research group brings together interdisciplinary projects that explore how we enact, study, archive, curate, write, and otherwise document the present in ways that influence our futures.
Read more at futuremaking.space
Coordinator: Annette Markham
Coordinator: Britta Timm Knudsen
This research group is a forum for the investigation of user-generated production and user-driven participation across a variety of social fields and participatory platforms, e.g. urban spaces, aesthetic co-productions and online environments.
Coordinator: Camilla Møhring Reestorff
Practice theory addresses a key issue in studies of culture and cultural transformations, combining inspirations from sociology, philosophy, cultural theory, and science and technology studies (ANT). This research unit aims to develop this field as a foundation for exploration of topics within the area of culture and aesthetics.
Coordinator: Mads Krogh
Public debate and political action are influenced by aestheticization, commercialization and the obligations of a media-saturated public space. At the same time the development of digital and interactive media facilitates new kinds of democratic participation and activism.
Read more at offentlighed.au.dk
Coordinator: Henrik Kaare Nielsen
This research group brings together junior scholars investigating how recalcitrant materiality, objects, and affects acting beyond human control relate to aesthetic and cultural phenomena.
In 2017 Aarhus is going to be European Capital of Culture, a project that has already had and will continue to have an impact on the city as well as the region. The core delivery of rethinkIMPACTS 2017 is a research-based evaluation of Aarhus 2017.
Coordinator: Louise Ejgod Hansen
The aim of the research unit Sexuality Studies is to contribute to an increased academic focus on sexuality and hereby to an increased understanding of the relation between sexuality and culture.
Coordinator: Camilla Skovbjerg Paldam
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Participating in the fellowship for the 2009-10 year deeply enhanced my skills as a social worker, a participant in the healthcare community, and solidified my commitment to service. I met weekly with two groups of court-involved young men teaching meditation. In the end, I found my students teaching me what they believed meditation to be. Instead of a practice of stillness, they developed a practice of meditation that wasn't about the "ohm" and sitting in the lotus position--but one of valuing time for reflection. We explored different ways to build a space for reflection. Through monthly meetings with my Schweitzer fellows, we learned about health disparities and delivering culturally competent solutions that were built collaboratively with our clients. The monthly speakers were a catalyst for our discussions and growth. The other fellows come from very diverse backgrounds--working towards master's in music, veterinary/medical/psychiatric nursing degrees, dental students, occupational therapists, public health candidates, and so much more. Meeting in fellowship with my colleagues was inspiring when you saw the challenges they came against and the insightful and innovative ways they implemented their projects within communities--and how they figured out how to make them sustainable. I found my project to be so enriching and focusing in my development as a clinical and macro social worker. The guiding mission set forth by Albert Schweitzer for "Reverence for life" through a life of service becomes strong within the fellows in their project year, but for myself, and, as for many fellows, it becomes a way of life.
My experience with the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) was a life enhancing experience. As a fellow in 2009-10, I developed and led a support group for formerly chronically homeless adults in the Boston area. The experience afforded extensive opportunities to develop leadership skills by connecting scholars and leaders in the service community with the fellows in the program. Through monthly meetings with community leaders, volunteer opportunities, and project assistance with professional mentors and trained ASF staff, the fellowship offers structured leadership development through the spirit of service. One particular example of this connectedness with my own project occurred through a physician with the Healthcare for the Homeless team in Boston who presented on Housing First programs to address homelessness in the Boston area. Her research and efforts inspired me to pursue work on a fellowship project (outlined in brief above) supporting these efforts in a neighboring community. The support of mentors, both academic and project skill specific affords fellows in this program tools to take initiative in addressing health disparaties in creative ways. Encouragement and expertise of the ASF staff further enhanced the experience. Health disparities are areas where the heart and head often collide to create frustration. However, the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship approaches this liminal state as fertile ground for grass roots change and leadership development.


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We all have those things, moments and images, that will always be scary to us. Early encounters with the surreal and horrifying make us what we are as adults. The beginnings of fear, early fear, pre-fear, when you first realized that as a human being you are allowed to know that something wasn't right. That stuff sticks with you.
As a parent now, I have begun to see it in my four year old. Concerns of death, of "Bad Guys", of thunderstorms, and of being alone are all beginning to creep into her mind. Certainly, some of her fears, such as the inevitable return of dinosaurs to the land of the living, are unfounded. But it doesn't make them any less scary, does it?
Fear denys our reality around us. It asks "what if?" and allows our mind to run with that ball. It's the dark side of being a creative and intelligent human. With knowledge comes, unfortunately, what we don't know. And that is scary.
When I was a kid, I knew about being scared. I was deep into the idea of nuclear armageddon. I have this image in my head of some literature that a roving proselytizer left on our doorstep once. It was cartoons, paneled and illustrated with lively colors, clearly attractive to the eyes of young and moldable minds. Its candy coated exterior was a veneer, however. Inside, the illustrations told the story of the end of the world. Families were broken, there was flame coming from the sky. It was a cartoon ending of the world.
I can still remember those images in my head, 30 years later. I could probably draw some of the pictures from memory. And I remember the nightmares I had afterward. Fears of my religious comeuppance combined with the normal fears of a child of the 80's, and the Russians became the angels of death. Those dreams, of a sacred nuclear ending to everything, are the first visual remembrance I have of fear. I remember fear, and how it felt. Like anything, your first time leaves an impression.
Nowadays, my fears are a lot more realistic. I still haven't crossed off nuclear winter, but it has made it's way down on the list, it's position as "top thing to be afraid of" constantly being one-upped by new, more terrifying things.
Yet fear is so genuine and primal that I can't help but love it. Not the actual throes of real life genuine anxiety, but the flights of fancy that the children in our lives, and those who still live in our heads, can take. Fear is perhaps the most creative and fantastic of all emotions. And I love it. I love being scared.
I hope you remember that, and get scared this October. It's good for you.


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"When Christians practice yoga, they must either deny the reality of what yoga represents or fail to see the contradictions between their Christian commitments and their embrace of yoga. The contradictions are not few, nor are they peripheral. The bare fact is that yoga is a spiritual discipline by which the adherent is trained to use the body as a vehicle for achieving consciousness of the divine. Christians are called to look to Christ for all that we need and to obey Christ through obeying his Word. We are not called to escape the consciousness of this world by achieving an elevated state of consciousness,
but to follow Christ in the way of faithfulness.
There is nothing wrong with physical exercise, and yoga positions in themselves are not the main issue.
But these positions are teaching postures with a spiritual purpose. Consider this — if you have to meditate intensely in order to achieve or to maintain a physical posture,
it is no longer merely a physical posture.The embrace of yoga is a symptom of our postmodern spiritual confusion, and, to our shame, this confusion reaches into the church." [1]
~ Albert Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary


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Today's Letter Follows A Meeting Saturday with Regional Business Leaders
Senator Arlen Specter, the Senior Senator from Pennsylvania, sent a letter to Federal Aviation Administrator Marion C. Blakey today urging a prompt review of proposals to reduce air traffic congestion at Philadelphia International Airport. Today's letter to Administrator Blakey follows a meeting Senator Specter held Saturday with regional business leaders regarding the issue.
"It is my understanding that Philadelphia International handles more takeoffs and landings than any of the New York area's three major airports, and is ranked near the bottom of all commercial airports in terms of on-time performance," Specter wrote in the letter. "Air traffic congestion in the region is causing an unacceptable level of delay at a time when commercial flight demand is reaching an all-time high at the airport, which I am advised served a Philadelphia record 31.5 million passengers last year."
It has been reported that the Philadelphia International Airport is the U.S.'s ninth busiest airport and has ranked last or nearly last for on time arrivals and departures in recent years. Currently, the Federal Aviation Administration is in the process of selecting one of four proposals to reduce air traffic congestion to and from Philadelphia International, Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark and Teterboro airports.
Additionally, the letter states, "Accordingly, I urge your prompt review of the air traffic congestion situation at Philadelphia International to ensure that this redesign plan will meet the region's capacity needs. I would appreciate an update on the status of the current airspace redesign efforts as well as knowing the FAA's intentions for facilitating this redesign in a manner that will ensure Philadelphia's growing airspace capacity and on-time performance problems are adequately addressed."


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London, Sept 18 (ANI): Road rage, a nuisance to smooth-flowing traffic, may soon become a thing of the past - courtesy a new smartphone app called Bump.
Sending a grumpy message to a fellow driver telling them what an inconsiderate road-user or parker they are has become a lot easier with the app, launched this week in California, where the La Jolla company is based, as part of the DEMO Conference in Santa Clara.
First take a snap of the other vehicle's licence plate using the phone's camera, reports New Scientist.
Then the new app will forward it to a database where Bump's recognition software will match the car to the owner's phone number, provided they have registered for the service.
Bump will then forward messages without revealing the phone number, effectively putting strangers in touch with each other.
The app already allows iPhone and Android smartphone users to pair devices and exchange information simply by physically bumping them together.
Drivers could use it to communicate with other motorists for more than just road rage: letting them know when their tail-light is out, or that they like a particular bumper sticker. (ANI)


text: [Petter Reinholdtsen] > because installing locales inserts LANG=C into /etc/environment, A related issue, and the one triggering this bug report in the first place, is that the debconf version in Sarge is unable to use the C locale with the linux terminal. This can be tested in the linux console, using the following commands: LANG=C TERM=linux dpkg-reconfigure debconf This will show the dialog boxes without border lines. When using vt100 terminal instead, the dialog boxes look just fine. LANG=C TERM=vt100 dpkg-reconfigure debconf This suggests that there is a problem with the dialog frontend and the linux console terminal type.


text: Vieux Farka Touré in Tidewater on 08/09/14 Related show Artist: Vieux Farka Touré Tour: Vieux Farka Touré Date: 08/09/14 Venue: Beloved: Sacred Art & Music Festival City: Tidewater , OR Country: South Africa Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal Never miss a beat! Subscribe to our mailing list and get exclusive offers and latest news. SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed!


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The Grow Green Landscape Professional Training series has been developed with the goal protecting our natural resources by offering Austin residents a list of landscape professionals who can provide sustainable options for landscape design, installation, and care. The training series gives Austin professionals the opportunity to learn about earth-wise landscaping and management practices from experts.
Classes will be held on five Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., from January 20th through March 17th at various locations.


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Jeanie Bryson - Some Cats Know (Music CD)
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1. I Don't Know Enough About You
2. 'Deed I Do
3. Some Cats Know
4. Why Don't You Do Right
5. You're My Thrill
6. Fever
7. I'm In Love Again
8. Close Your Eyes
9. Lover
10. You Let My Love Get Cold
11. I'm Gonna Go Fishin'
12. You're Blase
13. That Sugar Baby O'Mine
14. Where In The World Are You
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TPG Projects Make 2014 New York Design Awards Shortlist
Inaugural Awards from design100 and AIA NY
TPG Marketing & Communications
TPG is pleased to announce that our projects completed for Arnold at 205 Hudson Street and Weber Shandwick New York at 909 Third Avenue, have made the shortlist in the Interior Design - Corporate and Hospitality category in the 2014 New York Design Awards.
The inaugural New York Design Awards is a partnership between design100 and AIA NY, and part of the City Design Awards series held in London, Melbourne and Sydney.
To learn more about these shortlisted projects click the links below:


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Justin Timberlake got liquored-up and played miniature golf on television.
Minus the television part, that sounds a lot like high school for some of us.
Timberlake appeared on the U.K.'s "Jonathan Ross Show," where the topic of Timberlake's new signature brand of spirits, 901 Tequila, came up. While Timberlake described going to Mexico and visiting where the tequila was processed, Ross pulled out two shot glasses and the pair — in the course of 10 minutes — mixed five shots of tequila each with a three-hole round of onstage mini golf.
"Are you serious?" the singer asks by the time Ross poured their fifth shot.
At one point, Timberlake toasted what could be "the last Jonathan Ross Show ever."
Probably not.
Contact Tony Hicks on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks, or on Twitter at twitter.com/insertfoot.


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Alamogordo, NM
Jump Into a Learning Adventure! MA Early Childhood Education50/hour
Hello! I am excited about the opportunity to tutor your little one! I have been a head start teacher for 5 years and recently obtained a Masters degree in Early Childhood education. I have also worked for a pilot online tutoring service for the state... read moreSee Tutors Like This


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Ribena Lets Consumers 'Pick Their Own Flavour'
Ribena has launched a new promotional campaign to raise awareness of its numerous flavour variants, a business journal has said.
According to Marketing Week, the brand's owner – GlaxoSmithKline – has said that it wants to spread the message that Ribena is about more than just blackcurrants by promoting its other flavours and highlighting their natural ingredients.
In a three-month on-pack offer, consumers will be given the chance to win a £1,000 "juicy bonus" every day, with money-off-next-purchase coupons also available to encourage them to try alternative varieties.
Andy Mahoney, brand manager for Ribena, said: "We know that this nation loves Ribena, but at times its blackcurrant heritage dominates consumer perceptions of our brand."
The Pick Your Own campaign addresses the problem by highlighting the full range of drinks available to the consumer, while also "giving them a reason" to buy again and again, he added.
Last week, one of the firm's major rivals, Vimto, upped its marketing efforts for the Vimto Cherry brand with the launch of a UK-wide campaign to offer young people the chance to win a cherry-themed prom for their school.


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A Serpent in the Garden: Year of the Snake Jewelry
Serpents have long been a popular motif in jewelry. The duality of fascination and fear keeps snakes recurring in jewelry, from ancient times to the present. Snakes have represented fertility, rebirth, immortality, desire, and eternity. No matter what they represent, in the hands of skilled jewelry designers, their form is serpentine magic.
Here are some of my favorite snake designs, from antique to modern; from simple to sublime.
Still not sated with snakes? I have a whole menagerie Pinned here, including some amazing vintage pieces. What are your favorite serpents?


text: I had the exact opposite experience as the poster above. Our food was ridiculous good, and I would have paid double if I had to. We did have the benefit of looking at the menu online before we went, so I was aware of how much it cost. Our $30 pitcher of sangria made eight glasses (never had sangria served in a wine glass) and our $10 margarita was shared by the whole table for dessert. We did order too much food to eat and could have all shared everything, but $140 for four of us left us all satisfied and in somewhat of a food coma. This restaurant is the reason I'll be back to New Orleans as often as I can. Hands-down the best food and service in the entire city!


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England and Yorkshire cricket legend Brian Close dies aged 84
FORMER England and Yorkshire cricket captain Brian Close has died aged 84.
England and Yorkshire cricketer Brian Close has died aged 84
The sportsman became the youngest ever player to play a Test match for England, making his debut against New Zealand in 1949 aged 18-years-old.
He went on to lead his country seven times in 22 Tests, where England won six and drew one.
It is with deep sadness that former #Yorkshire & @englandcricket star Brian Close has passed away. #RIPClosey pic.twitter.com/qTEbXbq29c— Yorkshire CCC (@Yorkshireccc) September 14, 2015
The proud Yorkshireman, who gew up in Rawdon, had a career spanning 29 years.
After leading Yorkshire he went on to captain Somerset.
He also had a successful youth football career, playing for Arsenal, Bradford and Leeds.
Yorkshire County Cricket Club announced Brian Close's death