US 11,950,582 B2
Pet bowl having integrated sensing
Stuart C. Salter, White Lake, MI (US); Annette Lynn Huebner, Highland, MI (US); Marguerite Lynn Kimball, Brighton, MI (US); Hussein Berry, Dearborn, MI (US); John Robert Van Wiemeersch, Novi, MI (US); and Pietro Buttolo, Dearborn Heights, MI (US)
Assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on Nov. 19, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/952,151.
Prior Publication US 2022/0151202 A1, May 19, 2022
Int. Cl. A01K 7/02 (2006.01); B60N 3/10 (2006.01); B60N 3/18 (2006.01); H04B 1/02 (2006.01)
CPC A01K 7/027 (2013.01) [B60N 3/104 (2013.01); B60N 3/18 (2013.01); H04B 1/02 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A pet bowl comprising:
a housing defining a container;
a proximity sensor located proximate to the container, the proximity sensor having conductive circuitry comprising a first circuit made of a first metal and a second circuit made of a dissimilar second metal; and
a controller processing signals received from the proximity sensor, the controller selectively switching the conductive circuitry between a first configuration operating as the proximity sensor to sense an amount of content contained in the container and a second configuration operating as a thermocouple to sense temperature of the content of the container.