Thursday, December 1, 2011

How Do Pet GPS Collars Work?

By Lesa Ward


Pet GPS tracking devices are designed to monitor the movement of dogs and cats. The improved accuracy and smallness of GPS receivers allows these devices to function as pet trackers. This has become a popular application. They all depend on the GPS or global positioning system.

The GPS is owned by the US government and operated by its Air Force. It provides positioning, navigation and timing services to military and civilian users free of charge. The system consists of three components - satellites orbiting earth, control bases in various countries and, finally, millions of individual GPS receivers.

Each GPS satellite transmits radio microwaves one-way down to earth. These radio signals contain a set of data capable of being received by GPS pet trackers. That data includes the precise time at which the data was transmitted plus the position of the satellite described in three dimensions, namely, its vertical height and its latitude and longitude coordinates. Using signals received from three or more satellites, a GPS receiver can triangulate its location to great precision. The system allows civilians to calculate their location to within tens of meters of true position.

Signals received by GPS receivers allow them to calculate their latitude-longitude coordinates and their altitude. That calculation is based on the time, mere nanoseconds, required for the signals to travel from satellites to the receiver. Correct measurement of time is vital to the system. Signal acquisition can be affected, even prevented, by topographical features like heavy forests or deep gorges.

The basic configuration of a GPS pet tracking system varies depending on the specific manufacturer. One common set-up involves two components. First, a collar unit placed on the pet equipped with a GPS receiver, a GSM modem like in a cell phone, a bright light that can be seen from a several hundred feet when on and a battery. The second component is a small base station transmitter-receiver placed in the home.

The tracking unit on the collar has an antenna to receive a signal from the base station. The signal is set at a distance to define a cyber fence at a set circumference, say 100 to 300 feet, around the home base station. If a base station stops getting signals from the pet collar, it concludes the pet has moved outside the fence and the tracking system goes into lost mode.

If the base station stops receiving a signal from the collar unit, it indicates the pet has gone beyond the virtual fence. If so, the system enters into lost pet mode.

For specialist users, such as geodetic mapping and construction engineers, a variety of GPS augmentation systems and techniques are available to enhance overall system performance over and above that possible using the basic service provided by the system. That higher overall performance includes better signal availability, accuracy and integrity.

Pet GPS tracking units, particularly those for dogs, are built to withstand rugged conditions. Most models can withstand immersion in water for up to 30 minutes to a one meter depth.




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