Short range cat detector

[baldguyfromblackpool]

I have a problem with cats jumping up on the kitchen worktops in the night, and leaving a mess.

I thought about making up some small devices with a limited range which could detect the proximity of a cat within no more than about 3 feet, and then trigger an alarm to scare off the cat.

What technology would you investigate first for cat detection.. something based on IR, or something based on some form of sonar/radar type idea? What's likely to be best in terms of cost, simplicity, effectiveness? Are there any discrete components or small cheap modules out there that might be useful?

There's allsorts of premade items on ebay but none of them quite match the exact specfic requirements I've in mind. Battery operated, very short detection range, effective but not harmful scare tactics, can be disguised as a pickle jar (to keep the mrs happy)..

Maybe even multiple sensors that can establish the heading of the detection and squirt water directly at cat. Or units with a very narrow detection beam that can lie in wait & target the cat that wanders in range.

 

[Delta Prime]

I’ve done it before, for my girlfriend‘s cat’s three of them I used double-sided tape. while in the vicinity observing to help the little critters once they get wrapped up with tape to un-stick them.The cats jump on the counter once maybe twice but never a third time. I even tried it with catnip and a can of tuna to lure the cats intentionally, but they remember the double sided tape.

 

[baldguyfromblackpool]

Great idea, will try that as a training aid

 

[Externet]

 

[Delta Prime]

That’s horrible. That would pull the skin off the poor kitty cats paws.
A simple circuit you can build upon.
The (SPST) single pole single throw switch can be replaced a simple, infrared detector and emitter.

Cat Repeller Circuit,Repellent Circuit Diagram,555 Ultrasonic Circuit

A cat or dog repeller circuit is explained in detail with the repellent circuit diagram. This ultrasonic circuit is designed with 555 timer.

circuitstoday.com

 

[baldguyfromblackpool]

It's the

simple, infrared detector and emitter.

that I'm not sure about how to do

I do love 555's though

 

[Delta Prime]

Then you’re going to like this
And you can also Google break beam infrared emitters detectors.

 

[ahsrabrifat]

I have a problem with cats jumping up on the kitchen worktops in the night, and leaving a mess.

I thought about making up some small devices with a limited range which could detect the proximity of a cat within no more than about 3 feet, and then trigger an alarm to scare off the cat.

What technology would you investigate first for cat detection.. something based on IR, or something based on some form of sonar/radar type idea? What's likely to be best in terms of cost, simplicity, effectiveness? Are there any discrete components or small cheap modules out there that might be useful?

There's allsorts of premade items on ebay but none of them quite match the exact specfic requirements I've in mind. Battery operated, very short detection range, effective but not harmful scare tactics, can be disguised as a pickle jar (to keep the mrs happy)..

Maybe even multiple sensors that can establish the heading of the detection and squirt water directly at cat. Or units with a very narrow detection beam that can lie in wait & target the cat that wanders in range.

OK, if you use SONAR, IR, PIR etc, the system will not be able to determine if it's a cat or person or an object. If that is not the headache, you can use HCSR04 or PIR sensor. Either way it will work. You can interface multiple sensors with an Arduino.

Interfacing of Multiple Ultrasonic Sensor With Arduino - The Engineering Projects

Today, I am gonna post about interfacing of multiple Ultrasonic sensor with Arduino. In the previous post, we have seen Interfacing of Ultrasonic Sensor ...

www.theengineeringprojects.com

Arduino Controlling Multiple P.I.R Sensor on Same Bord

Arduino Controlling Multiple P.I.R Sensor on Same Bord : Today I will tell you how to connect multiple PIR Sensors with single Arduino Bord >here i have also used 4 channel relay module for some extra functionality. ARDUINO + 4 Channel Relay Module + 4 PIR Sensor (OR You can used as many pin...

www.instructables.com

However, if you want precise detection of cat and not anything else, you can use an ESP32-CAM with OpenCV and any dependable animal detection model.

 

[baldguyfromblackpool]

I'd briefly seen OpenCV in passing on my Googles, really interesting, but probably overkill for this project. Still fascinating though. That's something I'd love to play with for fun if I ever get the workshop straight and get enough time.

Not too bothered if detection is indiscriminate. To mitigate against accidental human detections during the day, I'd just use on-off switches or maybe a timer. As long as I can limit the detection range to just a few feet, I'm not too bothered if it warns off flies, mice and windblown paper along with the cats.

HCSR04 and some kind of really small, cheap, basic microcontroller seems like a plan to run with

Thanks for in particular the top link - it goes on to link further to basically everything I think I'll need

 

[tim.hofstetter]

I've done several things. First, cover the countertops with aluminum foil. You can always use it for other purposes later. That scares the bedgeezus out of them when they land on it.
For more pressing cats, I've laid out adhesive tape (do NOT use duct tape!) like blue painter's tape, sticky side up, and stood empty beer / soda cans on it so something will chase them when they run away in the middle of the night.
For really serious cats, I got a good-sized project box and mounted a cheap motion detector and two supertweeters on the front. I built a pair of 10W amplifiers that could reach into ultrasonic and two unsynchronized sweeping ultrasonic oscillators and fed the sweeping ultrasonics to the supertweeters. That stops the best of them. What's more, it even works as a burglar deterrent device because when you enter a room where this thing is running, you immediately get really tense and fretful and the longer you're exposed to it, the more fretful you get. I had trouble being in the same room with it for longer than about 30 seconds. Cats and dogs despise it.

 

[baldguyfromblackpool]

What cheap motion detector did you use? I do like the flexibility of the HCSR04 idea but could the complexity of the microcontroller could be avoided by something more off the shelf?

I'm split now between getting something rigged up and working relatively quickly, and taking time over the enjoyment of a learning project.

 

[tim.hofstetter]

What cheap motion detector did you use? I do like the flexibility of the HCSR04 idea but could the complexity of the microcontroller could be avoided by something more off the shelf?

I'm split now between getting something rigged up and working relatively quickly, and taking time over the enjoyment of a learning project.

I don't remember offhand; it was just a generic off-the-shelf 120VAC motion sensor from the hardware store, the type used to turn on your bathroom lights when you walk in. It controlled the power supply to the rest of the electronics. Really minimal stuff. If I recall correctly, my oscillators were built around 555s and tweaked to run just outside the range of human hearing.

 

[camerart]

Hi,
A dog.
C

 

[danadak]

If your new to processors consider block language programming, many have the HCSR04
in their library. Lots of fun, rapid development.

See post #7 general description, youtube has lots of getting started videos.

https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/want-help-with-microprocessor.168262/#post-1468186