ES2757979B2 - SCALES AND WEIGHING SYSTEM FOR CATTLE - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

SCALE AND WEIGHING SYSTEM FOR CATTLE

Object of the invention

The present invention refers to a scale and a weighing system for livestock that is aimed at providing a precise control of the weight of each one of the animals in real time in the fattening phase; where the weight of each animal can be controlled each time it approaches a feeder to feed. The system of the invention allows the animal to be identified while it is eating, and in this way the weights can be controlled and stored every time the animal approaches to eat. It should be noted that the weighing system allows the animal to be weighed by resting only its front legs on the scale, and by means of a processor, such as a CPU integrated in said scale, it allows knowing the history of the different controlled weights of each animal, at the same time that these weights can be uploaded to a server in the cloud to later analyze them.

Technical problem to solve and background of the invention

At present the weighing systems for livestock are known, among which it is worth highlighting the patent with application number in Spain P 201531709 which is owned by the same owner as the invention in question.

The weighing system of said patent comprises a dynamic weighing platform that indicates the value of the weight obtained; further comprising a control device, a detection system and a marking device. The described weighing system lacks precision and is also easy to commit. Said weighing system has the limitation that it does not allow to carry out a control of the weight of the animals in real time.

Description of the invention

In order to achieve the objectives and avoid the drawbacks mentioned in the previous sections, the invention proposes a weighing scale for livestock and the weighing system.

The scale includes in principle a weighing platform and a load cell located below the weighing platform; where the weighing platform is linked to a support structure that is part of the scale.

The support structure comprises a first side of tubular configuration, a second side of tubular configuration, two transverse tubes arranged in the same direction, a rear tube, a transverse foot support and a vertical post of tubular configuration.

The two transverse tubes converge at one of their ends in the rear tube, while the other ends of the two transverse tubes are attached to the first side and the second side; where the vertical post is attached at one of its ends to the first side; and where opposite ends of the transverse foot support are attached to the first side and the second side.

The weighing platform includes two collateral parts separated by a hollow rib that forms part of the weighing platform and is above the collateral parts; wherein said collateral parts are configured for the separate support of the two front legs of an animal in order to carry out its weighing; and where the load cell is located in the space delimited by said hollow rib of the weighing platform.

The scale also comprises an upper support to which a connection box is attached; where said upper support is fixed to an end section of the vertical post above the first side; and where the internal space of the vertical post communicates with the interior space of the junction box.

In the junction areas between the tubular elements that make up the support structure of the scale, steps are configured that communicate the internal spaces of said tubular elements.

The first lateral and the second lateral comprise C-shaped tubes that include lower branches, upper branches and cross members; where the upper branch of the first lateral is attached to the vertical post; and where the lower branches of the first lateral and of the second lateral are joined by means of the foot support and by means of the transverse tubes that are also connected by their convergent ends to the rear tube.

A box-shaped protector is attached to the first side, while a side closing plate is attached to the second side.

The load cell is encapsulated within a space delimited by the rear tube and by a front tube arranged in the same direction as the rear tube; where adjacent ends of the front tube and the rear tube converge in an elastic seal that separates both tubes; and where remote ends of the front tube and rear tube are closed, respectively, by a first cap and by a second cap.

The front tube is attached to the weighing platform by means of screws inserted in some facing holes located in the weighing platform and in plates integral with the front tube; where said screws screw into nuts located below said plates.

The scale comprises articulated legs threaded into nuts that are welded to the transverse foot support.

The load cell is fixed to the head tube by means of two pairs of opposing screws that thread into opposing holes located in the load cell, at the same time that said screws pass through holes in the head tube; where said screws also pass through holes located in flat plates sandwiched between the load cell and the front tube.

An inner edge of the weighing platform includes an angular fold adapted to the shape of the two rear tubes arranged in the same direction.

Ends of the first side and the second side include anchor plates that are configured to secure the scale to a wall.

The invention also relates to the livestock weighing system with the described scale; where said weighing system comprises:

- A processor that receives each weight of the animal carried out by the load cell together with the identification of an identifying chip of the animal that has been weighed; where said processor is configured to store the different data obtained from the identification and weighing of each animal; and where the processor is configured to establish the average of several two-legged weights made of each animal during a previously selected period of time.

- Means configured to establish, by means of a conversion factor, the equivalent of the weight on two legs to the weight on four legs of each animal.

The means configured to establish, by means of a conversion factor, the equivalent of the weight of the animal on two legs to four legs, are selected between a cloud and the processor; where the conversion factor is bounded between 1 and 2.

The processor receives the identification data of the animal wirelessly through an antenna that is fixed on an internal face of the protector.

Below, to facilitate a better understanding of this specification and forming an integral part thereof, a series of figures is attached in which the object of the invention has been represented by way of illustration and not limitation.

Brief description of the figures

Figure 1.- Shows a perspective view of the weighing scale for livestock, object of the invention. The weighing system is also an object of the invention.

Figure 2.- Shows an exploded perspective view of the weighing scale.

Figures 2a to 2c.- Show different details of the scale of the invention.

Figure 3.- Shows an elevation view of the scale.

Figure 4.- Shows a profile view of the scale.

Figure 5.- Shows a plan view of the scale.

Figure 6.- Shows a schematic view of the weighing system.

Description of an embodiment of the invention

Considering the numbering adopted in the figures, the weighing system for livestock, mainly pigs, is capable of determining the weight of the pig only with the weight obtained from placing the two front legs of the pig on a scale 1 that includes a load cell 9 to detect the weight of the pig; where the scale 1 is also the object of the invention.

The scale 1 comprises a support structure formed by a first side 2, a second side 3, two transverse tubes 4a, 4b in the same direction, a rear tube 5a, and a vertical tubular post 6; where the two transverse tubes 4a, 4b converge at one of their ends in the rear tube 5a, while the other ends of the two transverse tubes 4a, 4b are attached to the first side 2 and the second side 3; and where the vertical post 6 is attached at one of its ends to the first side 2; and where the first side 2 and the second side 3 are configured by tubes with a C-shaped configuration.

The scale support structure further comprises a transverse foot support 7 that also joins the first side 2 and the second side 3.

The scale 1 further comprises a weighing platform 8 associated with the two transverse tubes 5a, 5b; wherein said weighing platform 8 includes two collateral parts 8a separated by a hollow rib 8b that forms part of the weighing platform 8; where the two front legs of the pig rest on said collateral parts 8a in order to carry out weighing. Below the weighing platform 8 is the load cell 9 located in correspondence with the interior space delimited by said hollow rib 8b.

Load cell 1 is made of stainless steel material, while working with the bending of internal strain gauges.

A front part of the load cell 9 is housed inside a head tube 5b, so that one end of said head tube 5b is covered with a first cap 10 that forms part of the encapsulation of the load cell 9. On said tube front 5b two plates 11 are welded with welded nuts 12 that will serve to anchor this set of elements to the weighing platform 9 by means of screws 26 that screw into said nuts 12.

The scale assembly 1 includes at least one flat plate 13 as a rebate with two holes that serves to separate a front part of the load cell 9 from the weighing platform 8. With said flat plate 13 it is avoided that when placing a weight on the weighing platform 8 touches the load cell 9 due to the twisting of the materials.

The weighing platform 8 is anchored to the assembly of the head tube 5b and load cell 9, so that all the weight that falls on said weighing platform 8 is transmitted directly to the load cell 9; where the plan measurements of said weighing platform 8 can be 250 cm. x 376 cm. with a thickness of 3 mm.

The weighing platform 8 has the two well defined collateral parts 8a, 8b on which the pigs are to place the hooves of their front legs. The bottom of the weighing platform 8 has been reduced to the maximum to prevent more than one pig from being able to climb on it at the same time.

An inner edge of the weighing platform 8 includes an angle fold 8c which has a dual function. On the one hand, it avoids damaging the hoof of the pig in an existing sharp edge when the angular fold is not configured, and on the other hand it is possible to expand the weighing area of the weighing platform 8. In small pigs it has been observed in the different tests that came to place the hooves on top of said live song.

To manufacture the weighing platform 8, a first flat piece is used to support the front legs of the pig, and a second piece welded to the first piece; where the second piece constitutes the hollow rib 8b in the central area where the load cell 9 is housed together with the rear tube 5a and the front tube 5b.

The scale assembly 1 comprises the metallic support structure that supports the entire assembly. This support structure is made up of the aforementioned tubular elements and serves to allow the wiring to pass through its interior space; where in one embodiment of the invention the section of the tubular elements of the support structure is 40 mm. x 40 mm. with a thickness of 2 mm.

Said support structure serves to pass through its interior the wiring of the load cell 9 and also the wiring of an RFID antenna 14 that is part of the weighing system. The shape of the curved corners of the support structure facilitate the passage of cables, both in assembly and in a possible repair.

The first side 2 and the second side 3 incorporate anchor plates 15 at their ends to securely fix the scale assembly 1 to a wall of a pen where the pigs are. In one embodiment of the invention, the anchor plates 15 are 4mm thick.

Furthermore, the first right side 2 functions as a support to support a protector 16 of the antenna 14, while the second left side 3 functions as a support to support a side closing plate 17; where said antenna 14 is housed within a recess of the protector 16.

The side closing plate 17 has the function of preventing the pigs from sticking their heads out of the second left side 3 and causing false weights. In tests carried out, the larger pigs were able to access the trough from the side without having to step on the weighing platform 8 of scale 1 with both hooves, producing erroneous weights lower than the real weights.

The antenna protector 16, in addition to serving as a support, acts as a screen to avoid reading an identifier chip from each pig that is not supported by its front legs on the weighing platform 8.

After various tests with different prototypes, it was observed that without the inclusion of the antenna protector 16, weight readings were obtained for pigs that were not on the weighing platform 8, but that passed near the antenna 14.

It was observed that the reading field by placing the antenna protector 16 was considerably reduced, thus avoiding these erroneous readings. Ten centimeters was determined to be more than enough distance to avoid misreadings; wherein in one embodiment of the invention the thickness of the antenna shield 16 is 1.5mm.

The first side 2 and the second side 3 are joined together by various elements, as described above: firstly by the transverse foot support 7 that gives consistency to the support structure of the scale 1 and also allows the placement of two articulated legs 18 threaded to nuts 19 welded to the transverse foot support 7. These articulated legs 18 serve to be able to level the scale 1 on the floor of the pen.

Second, the first side 2 and the second side 3 are connected to each other by the two transverse tubes 4a, 4b and the rear tube 5a that houses part of the fuel cell. load 9. The two sides 2, 3 formed by tubular elements, allow the cables of the load cell 9 to pass through their interior and also through the interior of the two transverse tubes 4a, 4b.

The rear tube 5a together with the front tube 5b are arranged in the same longitudinal direction and house the load cell 9 as a whole; thus being able to encapsulate the load cell 9 and prevent moisture and dirt from entering it.

The front tube 5b and the rear tube 5a are facing each other at one of their ends with the interposition of an elastic gasket 20 made of natural rubber that ensures the tightness of the assembly while allowing the load cell 9 to flex without causing alteration in the reading of the detected weight. One end of the front tube 5b is closed by the first cap 10 while one end of the rear tube 5a is closed by a second cap 21.

This solution of two separate pieces was chosen together with the elastic gasket 20 made of natural rubber after making several prototypes where a good degree of sealing was not achieved, which caused the load cell 9 to be damaged by dirt, becoming unusable. .

The scale assembly 1 is completed with the vertical post 6 and an upper support 22 fixed to said vertical post 6 through which the antenna 14 and load cell 9 cables will rise to said upper support 22.

On said upper support 22 is screwed a connection box 23 that houses the antenna 14 and a processor 24 such as a CPU. The location of the junction box 23 allows us to have the electronics accessible in the event of having to open said junction box 23 and take it out of range of the pigs and avoid breaking it.

The load cell 9 is anchored to the head tube 5b by means of two pairs of screws 25, while countersunk screws 26 are used to secure the weighing platform 8 to the encapsulation of the load cell 9 which is formed by the head tube 5b and the rear tube 5a the first cover 10 the second cover 21 and the elastic joint. For this, said Countersunk screws 26 are coupled to nuts 12 welded to plates 11 and to lock nuts 27, while said countersunk screws 26 pass through opposing holes of weighing platform 8 and plates 11 welded to front tube 5b .

Thus, the load cell 9 is fixed to the head tube 5b by means of the two pairs of opposing screws 25 that thread into opposing holes located in the load cell 9, while said screws 25 pass through holes front tube 5b. Said screws 25 also pass through holes located in flat plates 13 sandwiched between the load cell 9 and the head tube 5b.

Said flat plates 13 serve to give a separation margin between the joined assembly formed by the front tube 5b and the rear tube 5a with respect to the load cell 9.

The RFID antenna 14 is placed on the first right side 2 of the scale 1; where with said antenna 14 the readings of the identifier chip incorporated in a tag are made just when the pig has its head inside a trough 28 adjacent to the scale 1. It is an identification system based on RFID technology, at the same time as the ear tag is attached to the pig's right ear.

The antenna 14 is fixed on an inside face of the protector 16, which serves to anchor said antenna 14 and avoid reading the identification chips when the pigs pass through the outside of the scale 1.

By means of the CPU 24 integrated in the scale 1, the history of the different weights of the pigs is uploaded to a server in a cloud 29 where they are subsequently analyzed. The CPU 24 serves to interconnect the different electronic elements, such as the antenna 14 and the load cell 9.

The CPU 24 sends all the registered weights to a database where they are stored, so that from the data stored in the database, the theoretical weight of each pig is obtained by means of a mathematical formula.

A software calculates the theoretical weight of the pig taking into account all the weighings registered for each pig (dispersion of the weights), the weeks of life of the pig on the day of registration of the weighings and their sex. Different factors are applied to the weight caught on two legs to obtain the theoretical weight of the pig.

It should be noted that the registered weights only correspond to the weight captured by placing the two front legs and that we will not obtain the total weight of the pig directly on scale 1. Taking into account that pigs have a very similar body structure morphologically, the theoretical weight is calculated from the weights obtained from two front legs of the pig.

All the connections of the electronic elements are made in the connection box 24. Inside it the CPU 24 is housed, which has a series of electronic terminals where cables from the load cell 9 and other cables from the load cell are connected. 14 RFID antenna. As previously mentioned, the cables reach the connection box 23 through the interior of the support structure of the scale 1. In this way, the cables are protected from dirt, humidity and out of the reach of pigs.

The scale 1 records the weight of each pig each time said pig places its head in the trough 28 by means of the identification chip of said pig that is normally incorporated in the ear tag attached to one of the pig's ears. Obviously, scale 1 is located next to trough 28.

At the end of each day, scale 1 provides a reference weight for each pig, taking into account all the partial weights that have been recorded on that day and that correspond to all the times that the pig has come to feed at the trough 28. This data is uploaded to a cloud database 29 automatically by a hub that sends the weights of all the scales 1 through an internet connection.

Each weight delivered by scale 1 corresponds to the weight obtained from weighing the pig only on 2 legs and not the weight that would be obtained from weighing the pig on its four legs.

To convert that weight on 2 legs to a weight on 4 legs of the pig, a series of calculations using software that takes into account, on the one hand, the characteristics of scale 1, such as the height of weighing platform 8 of scale 1 with respect to the ground, and on the other, takes into account the comparison of weights to 2 legs with heavy to 4 legs of the same pigs on the same dates; where the weighing on all fours is carried out on scales other than scales 1 on which the two legs of the pig rest.

Every time a pig places its head on the trough 28, the scale 1 registers the pig by means of its identification chip, as well as its weight.

In this way, we obtain a personalized calculation equation for each scale and in different ranges of life ages for each pig.

These equations have largely been obtained from previous studies with prototypes of this same scale 1 during several fattening cycles. The weights once converted from 2 legs to 4 legs are recorded in the database that the different departments of the company have access to so that they can use them in their statistics or processes using different platforms such as Web or Power Bl.

The CPU 24 itself is the one that registers the weights obtained each time the identification chip of a pig's ear tag is identified.

The multiple weights that they record for each pig each day are stored in the cloud database 29 with the following data structure.

In each weight range the number of registered weights within that weight range is stored. In the visitor boxes we record the number of pesos registered for each hour of the day. The occupation box indicates in seconds how long the pig is eating. Both the occupancy and visits data are used to generate statistics or to rule out possible results due to having little data to work with.

The first step that is carried out is to identify a band of five consecutive weights that represent a larger percentage of the total weights registered for each animal and day; all using the "Gaussian Algorithm".

Once the calculated weight corresponding to the weight of the pig with the support of two legs has been obtained, we have to carry out a conversion by applying a factor to convert it to a total weight of the pig as if it were resting on its four legs.

This factor takes into account several factors. On the one hand we have the age and sex of the pigs at the time of weight capture and on the other hand the physical characteristics of the scale itself. Although all scales have the same components, once these components are assembled and scale 1 is placed in the correct place within the pen, there may be differences between these scales 1, such as the height of the weighing platform 8 compared to the ground, so that at a lower height of the weighing platform 8, a better distribution of the pig's weight is obtained on its 4 legs.

To have a custom conversion formula for each scale 1, a series of weight captures of the pigs is made on different dates in all pens with other different scales that take the weight of the pig on all fours and compare it with the weight captured by the 2-leg pen scale 1 to obtain a specific conversion factor for each scale 1 according to the age of the pigs.

An example of application of the Gaussian Algorithm with data is described below. Thus, we take as a basis the internal memory of scale 1 where we have the Weights recorded for each weight range (from weight 0 to 100).

First, the 5 consecutive weight ranges that are most significant are sought.

Then it is observed that these weights are between the range P26kg. and that of P30kg.

Sum of weights of chosen ranges:

(p26 + p27 p28 p29 p30) =

(15 + 23 + 43 + 47 + 19) = 147.

It should be noted that the weight of each range is taken as the weight of the 0.5 kg range since the scale only registers weights for ranges of 1 kg.

In this way, the rest of the ranges are discarded and a calculation is made to obtain a 2-legged weight, taking into account the ranges selected with the following formula:

(P26 * 26.5) / SUM_WEIGHTS (P27 * 27.5) / SUM_WEIGHTS

(P28 * 28.5) / SUM_WEIGHTS (P29 * 29.5) / SUM_WEIGHTS

(P30 * 30.5) / SUM_WEIGHTS

(15 * 26.5) / 147 (23 * 27.5) / 147 (43 * 28.5) / 147 (47 * 29.5) / 147

(19 * 30.5) / 147 =

28.71 (weight result on 2 legs)

Once we have the weight calculated on two legs and published in cloud 29, we apply the corresponding conversion to obtain the weight on four legs with the following formula:

Weight on 2 legs * Conversion factor = Weight on 4 legs = 28.71 * 1.69432572 = 48.64 kg.

The conversion factor is obtained from different historical weighing of pigs on 4 legs of the same pigs in different weeks of life, so that a series of weight data is obtained from these same pigs that can be compared with the weights obtained on two legs by the scale 1 of the invention located in the corral. Each scale 1 of the invention will have its own conversion factors according to the weight obtained on two legs.

The height of the weighing platform 8 and the physical characteristics of each scale 1 interfere in the calculations of the factors of each scale 1.

The conversion factor is a living data that is polished as data of real weights on four legs of the pigs are obtained with which to compare with those obtained on two legs.

Based on the history of the four-legged weights and their two-legged weights, a table similar to this one is obtained with more or less details according to the available data, as shown below in an example for a scale 1 in particular.

In the case of this example, the obtained weight of 28.71 kg is located. in the table and multiplied by the corresponding conversion factor: 1,694

The table shown is used for a specific genetics, so that each breed of pig has its physical characteristics and has a weight distribution that causes different factors.

In summary then, the main objective of scale 1 is to control the weight of the animals in real time, so that with this data it can detect a weight loss in a pig in time and predict possible diseases, physical damage in this or some unfavorable environmental conditions on the farm.

Another objective is to be able to predict the number of animals and which animals are the ones that have than leaving for the slaughterhouse according to a fixed weight without having to carry out massive pig-to-pig weighings as is being done right now or not using a visual criterion to “mark” the pigs with higher weights so that they go to the slaughterhouse.

The scale 1 makes a record every time a pig places its head in the trough 28 thanks to the identification chip incorporated in the ear tag, a series of weights being controlled.

The livestock weighing system learns from itself and with the data it collects for each scale and the differences in weight of the four-legged scales, it refines the conversion factor that corresponds to it as it grows and gains weight.

Claims (13)

1. - Weighing scale for livestock , which includes a weighing platform (8) and a load cell (9) located below the weighing platform (8); where the weighing platform (8) is linked to a support structure that is part of the scale (1); characterized by: - The support structure comprises a first side (2) of tubular configuration, a second side (3) of tubular configuration, two transverse tubes (4a, 4b) arranged in the same direction, a rear tube (5a), a foot support transverse (7) and a vertical post (6) of tubular configuration; where the two transverse tubes (4a, 4b) converge at one end in the rear tube (5a), while the other ends of the two transverse tubes (4) are attached to the first side (2) and the second side ( 3); where the vertical post (6) is attached at one of its ends to the first side (2); and where opposite ends of the transverse foot support (7) are attached to the first side (2) and the second side (3); - the weighing platform (8) includes two collateral parts (8a) separated by a hollow rib (8b) that forms part of the weighing platform (8) and which is above the collateral parts (8a); where said collateral parts (8a) are configured for the separate support of the two front legs of an animal in order to carry out its weighing; and where the load cell (9) is located in the space delimited by said hollow rib (8b) of the weighing platform (8); - it comprises an upper support (22) to which a connection box (24) is attached; where said upper support (22) is fixed to an end section of the vertical post (6) above the first side (2); and where the internal space of the vertical post (6) communicates with the interior space of the junction box (23); - In the junction areas between the tubular elements that make up the support structure of the scale (1), steps are configured that communicate the internal spaces of said tubular elements. 2. - Weighing scale for livestock , according to claim 1, characterized in that the first side (2) and the second side (3) comprise C-shaped tubes that include lower branches, upper branches and cross members; where the upper branch of the first side (2) is attached to the vertical post (6); and where the lower branches of the first side (2) and the second side (3) are connected by means of the foot support (7) and by the transverse tubes (4a, 4b) connected to the rear tube (5a). 3. - Weighing scale for livestock , according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a box-shaped protector (16) is fixed on the first side (2), while on the second side (3) it is fixed a side closing plate (17). 4. - Weighing scale for livestock , according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the load cell (9) is encapsulated within a space delimited by the rear tube (5a) and by a front tube (5b) arranged in the same direction as the rear tube (5a); where adjacent ends of the front tube 5b and the rear tube 5a converge in an elastic seal (20) that separates the rear tube (5a) and the front tube (5b); and where remote ends of the front tube 5b and the rear tube 5a are closed, respectively, by a first cap (10) and by a second cap (21). 5.- Weighing scale for livestock , according to claim 4, characterized in that the front tube (5b) is attached to the weighing platform (8) by means of screws (26) inserted in some facing holes located in the weighing platform (8) and on plates (11) attached to the front tube (5b); where said screws (26) screw into nuts (12) located below said plates (11). 6.- Weighing scale for livestock , according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises articulated legs (18) threaded into nuts (19) that are welded to the transverse foot support (7). 7.- Weighing scale for livestock , according to any one of the preceding claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the load cell (9) is fixed to the front tube (5b) by means of two pairs of screws (25) in opposition that thread in some facing holes located in the load cell (9), at the same time that said screws (25) pass through holes in the front tube (5b); where said screws (25) also pass through holes located in flat plates (13) sandwiched between the load cell (9) and the front tube (5b). 8.- Weighing scale for livestock , according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an inner edge of the weighing platform (8) includes an angular fold (8c) adapted to the shape of the two rear tubes (4a, 4b) aligned in the same direction. 9. - Weighing scale for livestock , according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that some ends of the first side (2) and the second side (3) include anchor plates (15) that are configured to fix the scale (one). 10. - Weighing system for livestock with the scale (1) described in the preceding claims; characterized by that: - It comprises a processor (24) that receives each weighing of the animal carried out by the load cell (9) together with the identification of an identifying chip of the animal that has been weighed on the scale (1); where said processor (24) is configured to store the different data obtained from the identification and weighing of each animal; and where the processor is configured to average several two-legged weights made of each animal during a previously selected period of time; - means configured to establish, by means of a conversion factor, the equivalent of the weight on two legs to the weight on four legs of each animal. eleven.

- Weighing system for livestock, according to claim 10, characterized in that the means configured to establish, by means of a conversion factor, the equivalent of the weight of the animal on two legs to four legs, are selected between a cloud (29) and the processor (24). 12.

- Weighing system for livestock, according to any of the preceding claims 10 or 11, characterized in that the conversion factor is delimited between 1 and 2. 13. - Weighing system for livestock according to any of the preceding claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the processor (24) receives the identification data of the animal wirelessly through an antenna (14) that is attached to a inner face of the protector (16).