Patent ID: 8680997

Claim:
A method of detecting a change in tension of a taut wire fence system, where the fence system includes a connector including a main body member having a first attachment portion at one end of the member and a second attachment portion at the opposite end of the member, the first attachment portion being configured to attach to a first wire of the fence system, the connector including a sensor located on the main body between the first and second attachment portions, the method characterised by the steps of a) attaching a first wire of the fence to the first attachment portion of the connector and attaching the second attachment portion of the connector either to an end support mount for the fence, or to a second wire of the fence system such that the connector is held independently of direct contact with any fence support, such that the first wire, the sensor on the main body of the connector and the second attachment portion respectively, are aligned substantially in the same plane; and b) tensioning the first wire and connector; and c) sensing, by the sensor, a measure of the force exerted on the connector by the tension in the wire; and d) sending the sensed measure to a processor; and e) calculating, by the processor, a value of the force exerted on the wire; and f) outputting the calculated value of the force, wherein step c) includes sensing a change in a dimension of the main body member of the connector.