JP2007037454A - System and method for detecting livestock estrous time - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system and a method for detecting livestock estrous time. <P>SOLUTION: The system for detecting livestock estrous time has the following construction and mechanism: A switch sheet 13 is laid under the legs of a livestock 11 reared in a barn and the presence/absence of the livestock's stamping is transmitted to a control unit 18. The control unit functions to total stamping frequency per unit time, compare the result with a standard value, and judge whether the livestock 11 is at an estrous time or not. As an instrument such as a pedometer is not worn on the livestock's legs, misdetection attributable to such an instrument's coming off can be prevented. The switch sheet 13 may be installed vertically on a wall surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting the estrus time of livestock, and more particularly to an estrus time detection apparatus and an estrus time detection method suitable for livestock raised in a barn.

  Animals have an estrus period, and in livestock, it is important to discover the time and seed or artificial insemination.

  For example, since dairy cows cannot be milked if they are not pregnant, they usually perform the first artificial insemination at the age of 1 and 2 to 2 years, then become pregnant every year and continue to be milkable.

  In the case of cattle, the estrus period comes in a 21-day cycle, but in the past, seeding was performed as soon as cows in estrus were discovered. This often causes seeding failures, resulting in lost milking opportunities.

Therefore, countermeasures have been taken in the past, and an estrus timing detection apparatus as shown by reference numeral 101 in FIG. 7 is used.
The estrus time detection device 101 counts the number of times the livestock (cow) 111 is stepped on, sums up every unit time, and tries to detect the estrus time from the summation result. As shown in FIG. A pedometer 112 is attached to the leg of the (cow) 111, and when the livestock 111 walks, the pedometer 112 transmits a signal by its vibration.

  Then, the antenna 118 and the wireless modem 113 are connected to the receiver 115 in advance, the data wirelessly transmitted from the pedometer 112 is received by the receiver 115 and stored in the computer 116, and the number of steps per hour is the reference value. If it exceeds, it is determined that it is in the estrus period, and the number of the livestock 111 that has estrus is displayed on the display device.

  When the livestock 111 is a cattle, there are cases of rearing by grazing and rearing in a barn. In the case of grazing, when the cattle 111 is reared by grazing, the wireless modem 113 and the antenna 118 are arranged near the drinking fountain 120. Then, when the cow 111 approaches and the cow 111 enters the reception range 119, the number of steps counted by the pedometer 112 is wirelessly transmitted.

  When the cow 111 is raised in the barn, the wireless modem 113 and the antenna 118 are installed so that the cow barn falls within the reception range 119, and the pedometer 112 wirelessly transmits the step count data once per hour. Set.

  When the pedometer 112 is used as described above, it is possible to reliably find a cow in an estrus period without relying on cans or experience, so that loss of seeding opportunities can be prevented.

However, even if the pedometer 112 as described above is mounted on the leg of the pig, the pig leg tends to taper off and often falls off. In particular, since pigs are bred in narrow pig houses, the pedometer 112 may hit a fence or partition and come off.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-332411 JP 2004-337093 A

  The present invention was created to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and provides an estrus detection device and a estrus detection method suitable for livestock raised in a narrow place.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a switch sheet that is laid under a leg of a livestock and that switches a state of a built-in switch element by stepping on the livestock, and a total value and a reference value for switching the state of the switch element. In comparison, the present invention is a livestock estrus detection device having a control device for judging whether or not the livestock is in estrus.
Further, the present invention is the estrus timing detection device in which the control device stores the total value and determines the reference value based on the stored past total value.
Further, the present invention provides a switch seat in which a switch seat is disposed in a place demarcated by a fence in a barn, and a domestic animal is stood so that a leg rests on the switch seat, and a footstep of the livestock is disposed in the switch seat. This is an estrus timing detection method in which the number of steps is counted by detection using an element, and the livestock is determined to be in estrus when the total result is greater than a reference value.

  The switch seat can be arranged on the wall surface in addition to the floor surface. The switch seat and the control device may be connected by wire or wirelessly.

  The present invention is configured as described above, and the number of steps per unit time of livestock that has entered the estrus period is greater than the number of steps per unit time of livestock that are not in the estrus period. The degree of estrus can be determined based on how much is increased.

Since the estrus time of livestock can be reliably detected, the infertility period can be reduced.
Moreover, the success rate of artificial insemination can be improved.
In particular, since a device such as a pedometer is not attached to the leg of the livestock, a detection error due to the dropping of the device can be prevented.

The present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an interior of a pig farm, in which livestock (pigs) 11 are bred one by one in a section (bred place) partitioned by a fence 15.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the livestock 11 in one section, and FIG. 3 is a front view in which the fence 15 is omitted.

  A switch seat 13 is disposed at a position in each compartment where the leg of the livestock 11 gets. Here, the switch seat 13 is arranged near the place where food is supplied on the floor surface in one section, and the head of the livestock 11 is directed in the direction of the switch seat 13, and as a result, the forefoot of the livestock 11 is It rides on the switch seat 13. The switch seat 13 is formed shorter than the height of the livestock 11, and there is no switch seat 13 near the rear foot of the livestock 11, and the rear foot is placed on the floor surface outside the switch seat 13.

The internal structure of the switch sheet 13 is shown in FIGS.
The switch sheet 13 includes a rectangular lower rubber plate 38, a rubber frame 32 disposed on the surface of the lower rubber plate 38 along the outer periphery thereof, and a plurality of switch elements disposed inside the rubber frame 32. 33 and an upper rubber plate 31 disposed on the rubber frame 32.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of a state in which a part of the upper rubber plate 31 is cut out, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

The switch elements 33 are elongated and are arranged on the lower rubber plate 38 in parallel with each other, and both ends thereof are fixed to the lower rubber plate 38 by fixing bands 35. Reference numeral 36 in FIG. 5 denotes a protective sheet.
The lower rubber plate 38 and the upper rubber plate 31 are bonded to a rubber frame 32 so that sewage does not enter the space surrounded by the rubber frame 32.

  A contact 39 is disposed inside each switch element 33. The contacts 39 are normally separated from each other, and the switch element 33 is in an off state when not pressed. The contact point 39 is elongated and is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the switch element 33. When the forefoot of the livestock 11 rides on one of the longitudinal directions of the single switch element 33, and that part is pressed. The contact 39 is closed, and the switch element 33 shifts from the off state to the on state.

  When the domestic animal 11 steps or walks in the section partitioned by the fence 15, the position of the forefoot on the switch seat 13 is changed, so that the forefoot is once separated from the switch seat 13 and the switch element 33 which has been in the on state is in the off state. When the forefoot of the livestock 11 steps on the side switch seat 13, the switch element 33 under the forefoot shifts from the off state to the on state.

  In the switch sheet 13, among the plurality of switch elements 33 arranged in parallel on the lower rubber plate 38, the switch elements 33 located at both ends are connected in parallel with the switch elements adjacent to the switch elements 33, and one switch element is used as one. Blocks are formed. One switch element 33 at another position is one block.

Reference numerals S _{1 to} S _{4 in} FIG. 6 indicate the blocks.
When one of the two switch elements 33 connected in parallel is stepped on, the switch is turned on, and when both are not stepped on, the switch is turned off.

The switch sheet 13 arranged in each section is connected to the control device 18 by a wiring 37, and when the state of any one of the blocks S _{1 to} S _{4 in} one switch sheet 13 changes, the switch sheet 13 is changed once. It is determined that there was a stepping, and the counter value in the control device 18 is incremented.

  A calendar and a clock are arranged in the control device 18, and the numerical value of the counter is stored in association with the date and time at fixed time intervals. Further, at the time of storage, the value of the counter is reset, and thereby the total result of the number of steps is stored every predetermined time.

In the graphs of FIGS. 9 and 10, the horizontal axis represents the date and time, and the vertical axis represents the total value of the counter per hour. At the time of estrus, the number of steps is increased compared to the normal time. Therefore, the reference value Q is set, and the livestock 11 whose counter value P per hour is equal to or higher than the reference value Q enters the estrus time. Can be judged.
For example, if the reference value Q = 600 times, the livestock 11 in the graph of FIG. 9 is not in the estrus time, and the livestock 11 in the graph of FIG.
This reference value Q can be changed even during the step counting.

For example, when the counter value is totaled every hour, the average value of the counter value for the past 120 hours is defined as S ₁ , and the counter value at the time of aggregation (current time), that is, the past hour Assuming that the total value is P ₁ , the magnification R ₁ (> 1) is set in advance, the reference value Q ₁ is set according to the following equation (1), and the livestock that satisfies the following equation (2) is determined to be in the estrus period can do.
Q ₁ = R ₁ × S ₁ (where R ₁ > 1) (1)
P ₁ ≧ Q ₁ (= R ₁ × S ₁ ) (2)
According to an experiment, R ₁ is appropriate to be 1.6, and the estrus time has been reached when the footsteps are 1.6 times that of the past 120 hours.

In this example, every time the aggregate value P ₁ for one hour is obtained, the average value S ₁ of the aggregate values for the past 120 hours also changes, so the reference value Q ₁ changes for each aggregation.
Note that 120 hours is an example, and it is desirable to obtain the average value S ₁ in the range of the past 24 hours or more to the past 240 hours or less. In addition, R ₁ is 1 or more, and is determined experimentally depending on the type of livestock.

Also, instead of the average value S ₁ , the estrus time can be determined by comparing with the reference value obtained by multiplying the total value P ₀ at the same time one day before by a predetermined magnification, or the total for several days at the same time The estrus time can be determined by comparing the average value with the reference value obtained by multiplying the magnification.

  Conversely, the average value can be obtained by excluding the total value at a specific time. For example, the total value of the feeding time and the like can be excluded because the counter value increases (or decreases) regardless of estrus as compared to normal times.

  The switch sheet 13 is placed such that the fixing band 35 is disposed on the left and right of the livestock 11. That is, in the switch seat 13, the switch elements 33 are arranged in the head-to-tail direction of the livestock, and both ends of each switch element 33 are positioned outside the shoulder width of the livestock 11.

The front row switch element 33 located at the nose of the livestock 11 and the adjacent switch element 33 are connected in parallel. Similarly, the last row switch element 33 and the adjacent switch element 33 are connected to each other to block Since S ₁ and S ₄ are configured, even if the left and right forelimbs reciprocate alternately on the other switch elements 33 in the same blocks S ₁ and S ₄ , they are not counted as steps. That is, the sensitivity of counting at the position at the tip of the nose is set so as to be duller than the other parts, and movement during feeding is not reflected in the counting result.

  The above describes the case where the switch sheet 13 used in the present invention is laid on the floor surface. However, the switch sheet 13 is placed in close contact with the vertical surface of the fence 15, that is, the fence 15 separating the breeding place. Also good.

  In this case, the switch seat 13 is vertical, but when the livestock 11 steps, the body of the livestock 11 collides with the switch seat 13 disposed on the wall surface, and the switch element 33 is turned on for a short time. When the estrus time is entered, the number of steps is increased and the number of times of collision with the switch seat 13 disposed on the inner wall surface is increased. Therefore, the estrus time can be detected by comparing the counter value with the reference value.

  Further, in the above example, the number of steps is counted every hour, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the total number is calculated every shorter time, for example every 30 minutes, or every longer time, for example every 2 hours. You may compare. Further, both the short time total value and the long time total value may be compared.

In short, the present invention compares the total value of a certain time range including the total value of the current time with the past total value, and determines the degree of increase, that is, whether or not it is the estrus time with the magnitude of the magnification. Judge.
Moreover, although the domestic animal of the said example was a pig, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is applicable to another domestic animal.

Illustration for explaining the inside of a barn Figure for explaining the positional relationship between livestock and switch seat (1) Figure for explaining the positional relationship between livestock and switch seat (2) Plan view for explaining the inside of the switch seat Sectional drawing for demonstrating the inside of a switch seat Circuit block diagram for explaining the connection state of the switch element Conventional estrus detection device Illustration for explaining a prior art pedometer Counter graph (1) Counter graph (2)

Explanation of symbols

11 ... Livestock 13 ... Switch sheet 15 ... Fence 33 ... Switch element

Claims (3)

A switch sheet that is laid under the leg of the livestock and in which the state of the built-in switch element is switched by stepping on the livestock,
A livestock estrus timing detection device comprising: a control device that compares the total value of the switching of the state of the switch element with a reference value and determines whether or not the livestock is in estrus.   The estrus timing detection device according to claim 1, wherein the control device stores the total value and determines the reference value based on the stored past total value.   A switch seat is arranged in a place separated by a fence in a barn, and a domestic animal stands such that a leg is placed on the switch seat, and the footstep of the livestock is detected by a switch element arranged in the switch seat. An estrus time detection method that counts the number of times and determines that the livestock is in estrus time when the total result is greater than a reference value.

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