JP2008009641A - Vital information remote observation system and vital information transmitting unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To observe the condition of animals in more detail by extending an observation area without causing the enlargement and weight increase of sensor modules. <P>SOLUTION: The sensor modules 1a, 1b are mounted to vital detection parts of a dairy cow to be observed, and a relay module 2 is mounted to a collar of the dairy cow. The sensor modules 1a, 1b are provided with weak radio transmitters 14 with transmission electric power set so that a communication distance is about 2-3 m slightly longer than the body length of the dairy cow, and transmits notice information of vital information from the weak radio transmitters 14. The relay module 2 is provided with a specific small power radio transmitter 23 with transmission power set so that a communication distance is about several hundred meters according to the observation areas E1-E3. The relay module 2 receives the notice information transmitted from the sensor modules 1a, 1b, and transmits the notice information by the specific small power radio transmitter 23 toward radio receivers R11-R31 installed in the observation areas. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vital information remote observation system for remotely observing vital information of animals such as livestock, and a vital information transmission unit used in this system.

  In dairy farming, accurately estimating the estrus time of cows is extremely important to implement appropriate artificial fertilization and thus increase milk productivity. However, manually measuring the body temperature of cows and observing their behavior in order to estimate the time of estrus increases the burden on dairy farmers and increases the number of missed animals as the number of heads increases.

  Therefore, recently, focusing on the fact that signs of estrus appear in the increase in the walking behavior of cattle, a system for remotely observing the status of cattle based on the number of steps of cattle has been proposed. In this system, for example, a sensor module that incorporates a sensor for measuring the number of steps and a wireless transmitter is attached to each cow to be observed, and a server device such as a personal computer is installed in an observation center such as an office. And the measurement data of the step count of the cow transmitted from each said sensor module are collected with a server apparatus, and the state of the estrus of each cow to be observed is estimated based on this measurement data (for example, patent documents) 1 or non-patent document 1).

JP-A-11-128210

Summary of Report on “Survey and Investigation on Mobile Sensor Network in Dairy Field” March 2006 http://www.hokkaido-bt.go.jp/2006/0323c.pdf

However, this system is configured to directly transmit measurement data to a server device using a weak wireless method or a specific low-power wireless method from a sensor module attached to an observation target cow. For this reason, there were the following problems.
That is, when the weak wireless system is used first, since the wireless reach distance is as short as about 20 m, the wireless signal transmitted from the sensor modules of each cow scattered in a large observation area such as a pasture is received. In this case, a large number of wireless receivers must be installed in the observation area, which increases the installation cost and often makes installation difficult depending on the situation of the observation area. In order to alleviate this problem, an operation mode is conceivable in which the observation area is limited to places where cattle stop relatively frequently, such as a drinking fountain. However, in such operation, the observation area is limited. For this reason, the state of the cow when it exists outside an observation area cannot be observed.

  On the other hand, when the specific low power wireless system of the 429 MHz band is used, the number of installed wireless receiving apparatuses can be significantly reduced because the wireless reachable distance is as long as several hundred meters in view distance. However, since the power consumption becomes relatively large, it is necessary to increase the battery capacity of the sensor module. Increasing the capacity of the battery leads to an increase in the size and weight of the sensor module. If such a large and heavy sensor module is attached to a vital detection site such as a cow's leg, tail, or ear, the free movement of the cow is hindered. In addition, there is a problem that the physical burden is adversely affected on the health of the cow. Further, depending on the size of the sensor module, it may be impossible to attach the sensor module to the detection site.

  In order to avoid this problem, it is conceivable to reduce the power consumption by reducing the frequency of transmission of measurement data, thereby reducing the size and weight of the sensor module. However, if this is done, the observation cycle becomes longer, and it becomes difficult to properly observe the fine state of the cow in one day.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and the purpose thereof is to enlarge the observation area without causing an increase in size and weight of the sensor module, thereby observing the state of the animal in more detail. An object of the present invention is to provide a vital information remote observation system and its vital information transmission unit.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vital information in which a server device for managing the health condition of an animal is installed in an observation center, and a wireless receiver connected to the server device is installed in an observation area. In the remote observation system, a sensor module is attached to a detection site of an animal to be observed, and a relay module is attached to a site that does not hinder the behavior of the animal. The sensor module includes a sensor that detects the vital information of the animal and a first wireless transmitter whose transmission power is set according to the size of the animal, and includes the vital information detected by the sensor. Notification information is transmitted from the first wireless transmitter. On the other hand, the relay module includes a first wireless receiver that receives notification information transmitted from the first wireless transmitter, and the first wireless receiver according to a moving range of an animal. A second wireless transmitter set to a value larger than the transmission power of the transmitter, and notification information received by the first wireless receiver is sent to the wireless receiver by the second wireless transmitter. It is intended to send to.

  Therefore, the notification information transmitted from the sensor module with a small transmission power is converted into a large transmission power by the relay module and transferred to the wireless reception device. For this reason, the first wireless transmitter of the sensor module may be a low-output transmitter whose transmission power is set according to the size of the animal, thereby making the sensor module small and light using a small-capacity battery. Can be a thing. Therefore, even if the sensor module is attached to a vital detection site such as an animal leg, tail, ear, etc., there is no fear of hindering the free movement of the animal or adversely affecting the health condition. In addition, as the second wireless transmitter of the relay module, a transmitter with a relatively high output whose transmission power is set according to the size of the moving range of the animal can be used. For this reason, it is not necessary to install a large number of wireless receivers for receiving and collecting vital information in the observation area, thereby reducing the cost of the system and simplifying maintenance management.

  In the present invention, the sensor module adds the individual identification information of the animal to the detected vital information and transmits it. On the other hand, each time the notification information transmitted from the sensor module is received, the relay module determines whether the notification information corresponds to the animal based on the individual identification information included in the notification information. . The received notification information is transmitted to the wireless reception device only when it is determined that it corresponds. With this configuration, in a state where a plurality of animals are close to each other, vital information transmitted from the sensor module of one animal is multiplexed and transmitted via a relay module of another animal present in the vicinity thereof. You can prevent problems.

  Further, according to the present invention, when a plurality of sensor modules are attached to different detection sites of an observation target animal, the relay module edits a plurality of pieces of notification information transmitted from the plurality of sensor modules to provide one piece. The edited notification information is generated, and the edited notification information is transmitted to the wireless reception device. If comprised in this way, the vital information of a some sensor module will be put together in the relay module, and will be transmitted to a radio | wireless receiver. For this reason, compared with the case where vital information corresponding to the number of sensor modules is transmitted separately, collision and interference between notification informations are less likely to occur, thereby realizing highly efficient and reliable information transmission.

Further, a transmitter adopting a weak wireless system is used as the first wireless transmitter of the sensor module, and a specific low power wireless system having a transmission power larger than that of the weak wireless system is used as the second wireless transmitter of the relay module. It is characterized by using the transmitter which adopted. In this way, it is possible to construct a wireless local area network for animal observation relatively easily.
The first wireless transmitter of the sensor module uses a transmitter adopting a weak wireless method, and the second wireless transmitter of the relay module uses a public mobile communication method having a larger transmission power than the weak wireless method. Then, the notification information is transmitted. In this way, the vital information notification information generated by the sensor module is sent to the relay module by weak radio waves and then transferred from the relay module to the server device or the portable terminal of the administrator via the public mobile communication network. Is done. That is, the notification information is directly transferred from the relay module to the server device or the like. For this reason, it is not necessary to install a wireless reception device for receiving a wireless signal transmitted from the relay module in the observation area, thereby suppressing initial capital investment.

  In short, according to the present invention, the notification information transmitted from the sensor module with a small transmission power is converted into a large transmission power by the relay module and transferred to the wireless reception device. Accordingly, there is provided a vital information remote observation system and a vital information transmission unit thereof that can expand the observation area without causing an increase in size and weight of the sensor module, thereby enabling more detailed observation of the state of the animal. be able to.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a vital information remote observation system according to the present invention.
An observation server device SV is installed in an observation center such as an office. This server device SV generates and displays data for observing the state of estrus or health of each cow by collecting and storing vital information of a plurality of cows to be observed at regular time intervals. It has a function to do.

  The observation area is divided into a pasture farm (paddock) E1, a cowshed E2, and a milking farm E3. In these areas E1, E2, and E3, cows C11 to C1i, C21 to C2j, and C31 to C1 are observed. C3k exists. In addition, one or two radio receiving devices R11, R12, R21, and R31 are installed in each of the observation areas E1, E2, and E3. As an installation form of these radio receiving apparatuses R11, R12, R21, and R31, for example, an apparatus in which an apparatus housing is fixed on a pole planted on the ground is used.

  Each of the radio reception devices R11, R12, R21, and R31 includes a radio receiver and a LAN (Local Area Network) interface. Among these, the radio receiver employs a specific low power radio system as a radio communication system. The specific low-power radio system is set, for example, to a value corresponding to a transmission distance of 2.4 kbps, a use frequency band of 429 MHz, and a transmission power of 30 m to 300 m. The LAN interface performs data transmission with the server device for observation SV using a LAN (Local Area Network) LNW using a wired transmission path or a wireless transmission path. Needless to say, the LAN server is also provided in the server device SV for observation.

  By the way, for each of the observation cows C11 to C1i, C21 to C2j, C31 to C3k, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, sensor modules 1a and 1b are attached to a plurality of vital information detection sites, and collars and the like The relay module 2 is attached to a site that does not hinder the behavior of the cattle. The sensor module 1a measures body surface temperature, and is attached to the ridge where the artery passes near the body surface. The sensor module 1b measures the number of steps and is attached to the rear leg.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the sensor modules 1a and 1b. The sensor modules 1a and 1b are provided with a sensor circuit 11, an analog / digital converter (A / D) 12, a control circuit 13, a weak wireless transmitter 14, a memory 16, and a battery 18 as a power source. And a power supply circuit 17 to be generated.

  The memory 16 stores in advance an individual ID for identifying an observation target cow, information indicating the type of vital information to be measured, and information indicating measurement conditions such as a measurement time interval. The control circuit 13 includes a microcomputer, and activates the sensor circuit 11 according to the measurement conditions stored in the memory 16 to measure vital information. For example, if the sensor module 1a, the body surface temperature is measured, while if the sensor module 1b, the number of steps of the cow is measured. The measured count value is converted into a digital value by the A / D 12 and then taken into the control circuit 13. The control circuit 13 generates notification information by adding the individual ID and vital type information stored in the memory 16 to the vital information fetched from the A / D 12, and transmits the generated notification information to the weak radio. To the machine 14.

  The weak wireless transmitter 14 employs a weak radio wave system as a communication system. The notification information is converted into a radio signal, amplified and transmitted from the antenna 15. As the weak radio wave system, for example, a system using a transmission rate of 2 kbps and using 307.74 MHz and 316.74 MHz is used. The transmission power is set so that the communication distance is about 2 to 3 m, which is slightly longer than the body length of the cow.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the relay module 2 is a power source that generates an operating voltage Vcc using a control circuit 21, a weak wireless receiver 22, a specific low power wireless communication device 23, a memory 26, and a battery 28 as a power source. And a circuit 27. Among these, the memory 26 stores an individual ID for identifying the cow to be observed.

  The weak wireless receiver 22 employs a weak radio wave system as a communication method, similarly to the weak wireless transmitter 14 of the sensor modules 1a and 1b. The radio signals transmitted from the weak radio transmitters 14 of the sensor modules 1 a and 1 b are received via the antenna 24, demodulated to reproduce the notification information, and the notification information is input to the control circuit 21.

  The specific low-power wireless communication device 23 adopts a specific low-power wireless communication method as a communication method, converts notification information output from the control circuit 21 described later into a wireless signal, and transmits the wireless signal from the antenna 25. As the specific low-power radio communication system, a system using a transmission speed of 2.4 kbps and 429 MHz is used, for example, as in the radio reception apparatuses R11 to R31 described above. The transmission power is set such that the communication distance is several hundred meters depending on the size of the observation areas E1 to E3.

  The control circuit 21 includes a microcomputer, for example. Then, the notification information demodulated and reproduced by the weak wireless receiver 22 is captured, and the individual ID included in the notification information is compared with the individual ID stored in the memory 26 to determine whether or not both individual IDs match. , A process of editing the notification information sent from all the sensor modules 1a, 1b attached to the same cow to generate one integrated notification information, and the generated integrated notification information And processing for transmitting from the specific low-power radio communication device 23 to the radio reception devices R11 to R31.

Next, the operation of the system configured as described above will be described.
Here, a description will be given by taking as an example a cow C21 in the barn E2. As shown in FIG. 2, sensor modules 1a and 1b are attached to the ridge and rear legs of the cow C21, respectively. In these sensor modules 1a and 1b, when the measurement timing stored in the memory 16 is reached, the sensor circuit 11 is activated by an instruction from the control circuit 13, thereby measuring the number of steps or the body surface temperature. After being converted into a digital value by D12, it is taken into the control circuit 13. In the control circuit 13, notification information is generated by adding the individual ID and vital type information stored in the memory 16 to the vital information acquired from the A / D 12. The generated notification information is converted into a radio signal by the weak radio transmitter 14, further amplified by transmission power defined by the weak radio wave system, and then transmitted from the antenna 15 to the relay module 2.

On the other hand, the relay module 2 performs the following relay processing operation. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control procedure and control contents.
That is, the control circuit 21 monitors reception of the notification information at step 5a. When the notification information transmitted from the sensor module 1a is received by the weak wireless receiver 22 in this state, the individual ID included in the notification information is compared with the individual ID stored in the memory 26 in step 5b. Whether or not the individual IDs match is determined by 5c. If the individual IDs match as a result of this determination, it is determined that the notification information is sent from the same dairy cow sensor module, and the received notification information is stored in the memory 26 in step 5d.

  On the other hand, if the individual IDs do not match, it is determined that the notification information is sent from the sensor module of another cow, and the received notification information is discarded. Then, the control circuit 21 determines whether or not notification information has been received from all the sensor modules 1a and 1b attached to the same cow in step 5e. And the process by the said step 5a-step 5e is repeatedly performed until the notification information from all the sensor modules 1a and 1b is received.

  Now, when the reception and storage of the notification information from all the sensor modules 1a and 1b are completed, the control circuit 21 subsequently determines whether or not it is time to notify the server device SV in step 5f. At the notification timing, the notification information from all the sensor modules 1a and 1b stored in the memory 26 is edited in step 5g to generate one integrated notification information. For example, a set of vital information of each sensor module 1a, 1b and its type information is multiplexed, and an individual ID is further added thereto. Then, one piece of integrated notification information generated by this editing process is output to the specific low-power wireless communication device 23 in step 5h. The integrated notification information is converted into a radio signal by the modulation method defined by the specific low power radio system in the specific low power radio communication device 23 and further amplified to the transmission power defined by the specific low power radio system. The signal is transmitted from the antenna 25 to the wireless reception device R21.

  The radio signal transmitted from the relay module 2 is received by the radio reception device R21 including a radio communication device that also adopts the specific low power radio communication method. The received radio signal is demodulated and reproduced as integrated notification information, and then sent from the LAN interface to the server device SV via the LAN.

  When the server apparatus SV receives the integrated notification information sent from the wireless receiver R21, the server apparatus SV stores the integrated notification information in association with the individual ID. And the graph showing the time change of the vital information created for every cow, for example is updated based on the newly received information, and the updated graph is displayed on the display. At the same time, the vital information included in the received integrated notification information is compared with a preset threshold value for each type. When the vital value exceeds the threshold value, it is determined that the cow has reached the estrus period, and notification information to that effect is displayed on the display.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the sensor modules 1a and 1b are attached to the vital detection portions of the dairy cows C11 to C3k to be observed, and the relay module 2 is adversely affected by the exercise such as a cow collar. It is attached to no part. The sensor modules 1a and 1b are each provided with a weak wireless transmitter 14 whose transmission power is set so that the communication distance is slightly longer than the body length of the dairy cow. Transmitting from the transmitter 14 to the relay module 2. On the other hand, the relay module 2 is provided with a specific low-power wireless transmitter 23 whose transmission power is set so that the communication distance is several hundred meters according to the size of the observation areas E1 to E3, and the sensor modules 1a and 1b are provided. Is transmitted to the radio receivers R11 to R31 installed in the observation areas E1 to E3 by the specific low-power radio transmitter 23.

  That is, the notification information transmitted from the sensor modules 1a and 1b by weak radio waves is relayed by the relay module 2 and transmitted to the wireless reception devices R11 to R31 by the specific low power wireless method. Therefore, the weak wireless transmitter 14 of the sensor modules 1a and 1b may be a low-output transmitter whose transmission power is set according to the body length of the cow, and thus the sensor modules 1a and 1b are replaced with a small capacity battery 18. Can be made small and light. For this reason, even if the sensor modules 1a and 1b are mounted on vital detection sites such as the legs and tails of dairy cows, there is no concern that the free movement of the animals will be hindered or the health condition will be adversely affected. Moreover, the specific low power radio transmitter 23 of the relay module 2 can be a transmitter with a relatively high output in which the transmission power is set in accordance with the moving range of the cow. For this reason, it is not necessary to install a large number of radio receiving apparatuses R11 to R31 in the observation areas E1 to E3, thereby reducing the cost of the system and simplifying maintenance management.

  Moreover, when transmitting vital information from the sensor modules 1a and 1b, information indicating the type and the individual ID of the cow are added to the vital information and transmitted as notification information. Then, in the relay module 2, it is determined whether or not the notification information corresponds to the same dairy cow based on the individual ID of the notification information sent from the sensor modules 1a and 1b. Only in this case, the reception information is relay-transmitted to the radio reception devices R11 to R31. Therefore, for example, even in the state where a plurality of cows are approaching as in the barn shown in FIG. 1, the notification information transmitted from the sensor modules 1a and 1b of one cow is present in the vicinity of the other cows. Can be prevented from being multiplexed through the relay module 2.

  Further, in the relay module 2, a plurality of notification information transmitted from the plurality of sensor modules 1a and 1b is edited to generate one integrated notification information, and this integrated notification information is transmitted to the wireless reception devices R11 to R31. I am doing so. If comprised in this way, the vital information of several sensor modules 1a and 1b will be put together in the relay module 2, and will be transmitted to radio | wireless receiving apparatus R11-R31. For this reason, compared with the case where vital information corresponding to the number of sensor modules 1a and 1b is transmitted separately, collision and interference of notification information are less likely to occur, thereby realizing highly efficient and reliable information transmission. .

(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment of the present invention, a public mobile communication network such as an automobile / mobile phone network is used as a communication medium for transmitting notification information from the relay module to the server device.
FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the vital information remote observation system according to the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a relay module used in this system. In this figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 and FIG.

  The dairy cow to be observed (for example, C11) has sensor modules 1a and 1b attached to its ridge and rear legs, and a relay module 20 attached to its collar. Among these, the relay module 20 includes a mobile communication wireless communication device 29 as shown in FIG. The mobile communication wireless communication device 29 adopts a mobile communication method for mobile communication as a communication method, and transmits the integrated notification information output from the control circuit 210 in accordance with the mobile communication method. As a mobile communication system, for example, a W-CDMA (Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access) system is used.

  When transmitting the integrated notification information, the control circuit 210 creates an e-mail in which the information is described in the text or attached as an attached file. The mail address of the server apparatus SV or the mail address of the portable terminal MS possessed by the administrator is inserted in the destination of the electronic mail. The e-mail is converted into a radio signal by the mobile communication radio communication device 29, transmitted from the antenna 30, received by a base station (not shown), and demodulated into an e-mail. Then, the electronic mail is transferred to the server apparatus SV or the portable terminal MS via the public mobile communication network MNW and the IP (Internet Protocol) network INW.

  With this configuration, the vital information notification information generated by the sensor modules 1a and 1b is sent to the relay module 20 by weak radio waves, and then transmitted from the relay module 20 to the server via the public mobile communication network MNW. It is transferred to the device SV or the administrator's mobile terminal MS. That is, the notification information is directly transferred from the relay module 20 to the server device SV or the like. For this reason, it is not necessary to install radio receiving devices R11 to R31 for receiving radio signals transmitted from the relay module 20 in the observation areas E1 to E3, thereby suppressing initial capital investment.

(Other embodiments)
In the first and second embodiments, when wireless signals are transmitted from the relay modules 2 and 20, vital information transmitted from the plurality of sensor modules 1a and 1b is edited and transmitted as one integrated notification information. I did it. However, vital information sent from the plurality of sensor modules 1a and 1b may be transmitted without being integrated.

  In the first embodiment, the notification information transmitted from the relay module 2 is received by any one of the wireless reception devices R11 to T31 and transferred to the server device SV. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a plurality of wireless communication devices having a multi-hop communication function are arranged in the observation area, and notification information transmitted from the relay module is transmitted to the server device SV via the plurality of wireless communication devices in order. You may do it. In this way, even in a large observation area such as a pasture, transmission from the relay module 2 can be performed without increasing the transmission power of the relay module 2 and by installing a relatively small number of wireless communication devices. The notified information can be transferred to the server device SV.

  Further, in the first embodiment, a case where a specific low power radio system is adopted as a radio transmission system of the relay module 2 is taken as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and ZigBee, Bluetooth (registered trademark), an ultra wide band (UWB), a wireless LAN, or the like can also be employed.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, the dairy cow which exists in the milking field E3 was also made into the observation object. However, when it is intended only for estrus detection, milking is usually interrupted for the dairy cows to be observed, so that the dairy cows present in the milking place E3 may be excluded from the observation targets. Moreover, you may make it perform only the observation of a healthy state about the milk cow for milking in this case.

  Other types of animals to be observed, attachment locations and attachment methods of sensor modules and relay modules for animals, configuration and operation contents of sensor modules, configuration and operation contents of relay modules, wireless used by sensor modules and relay modules The type of transmission method, the transmission format of notification information, and the like can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The schematic block diagram which shows 1st Embodiment of the vital information observation system concerning this invention. The figure which shows the state which attached to the animal the sensor module and relay module which are used with the system shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of the sensor module shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of the relay module shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the control procedure and control content by the control circuit of the relay module shown in FIG. The figure which shows 2nd Embodiment of the vital information observation system concerning this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the relay module used with the system shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  E1 ... grazing farm, E2 ... cowshed, E3 ... milking farm, C11-C32 ... dairy cow, R11-R32 ... specific low-power wireless communication device, SV ... personal computer for observation, LNW ... LAN, INW ... IP network, 1a , 1b, 1c ... sensor module, 11 ... sensor circuit, 12 ... analog / digital (A / D) converter, 13 ... control circuit for sensor module, 14 ... weak radio transmitter, 15 ... antenna of weak radio transmitter, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 ... Sensor module memory, 17 ... Sensor module power supply circuit, 18 ... Sensor module battery, 2, 20 ... Relay module, 21, 210 ... Relay module control circuit, 22 ... Weak wireless receiver, 23 ... Specific small Power wireless communication device, 24, 25 ... Antenna of specific low power wireless communication device, 26 ... Memory of relay module, 27 ... Relay module Power supply circuit, 28 ... battery relay module, 29 ... mobile radio communication device, 30 ... antenna.

Claims (6)

A sensor module attached to the detection site of the animal to be observed;
A relay module attached to a site that does not hinder its behavior in the animal;
A server device installed in an observation center for managing the health of the animal;
A wireless receiving device installed in the animal observation area and connected to the server device;
The sensor module is
A sensor for detecting vital information of the animal;
Means for generating notification information including the detected vital information;
A first wireless transmitter for transmitting the generated notification information with a first transmission power set according to the size of the animal;
The relay module is
A first wireless receiver for receiving notification information transmitted from the first wireless transmitter;
A second transmission power for transmitting the notification information received by the first wireless receiver with a second transmission power set to a value larger than the first transmission power in accordance with a moving range of the animal; A wireless transmitter,
The wireless receiver is
A second wireless receiver for receiving notification information transmitted from the second wireless transmitter;
A vital information remote observation system comprising: means for transferring notification information received by the second wireless receiver to the server device. A sensor module attached to the detection site of the animal to be observed;
A relay module attached to a site that does not interfere with the behavior of the animal,
The sensor module is
A sensor for detecting vital information of the animal;
Means for generating notification information including the detected vital information;
A first wireless transmitter for transmitting the generated notification information with a first transmission power set according to the size of the animal;
The relay module is
A first wireless receiver for receiving notification information transmitted from the first wireless transmitter;
A second transmission power for transmitting the notification information received by the first wireless receiver with a second transmission power set to a value larger than the first transmission power in accordance with a moving range of the animal; A vital information transmission unit comprising a wireless transmitter. The means for generating notification information of the sensor module generates notification information including the detected vital information and individual identification information of the animal,
The second wireless transmitter of the relay module is
Means for determining whether the notification information corresponds to the animal based on the individual identification information included in the notification information each time notification information is received by the first wireless receiver;
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising means for transmitting the received notification information with the second transmission power only when it is determined that the received notification information corresponds to the animal. Vital information transmission unit. When multiple sensor modules are attached to different detection sites of the observation target animal,
3. The vital information according to claim 2, wherein the relay module further comprises means for editing a plurality of pieces of notification information transmitted from the plurality of sensor modules to generate one piece of edited notification information. Transmission unit. The first wireless transmitter transmits notification information using a weak wireless method,
3. The vital information transmission unit according to claim 2, wherein the second wireless transmitter transmits the notification information using a specific low power wireless system having a transmission power larger than that of the weak wireless system. The first wireless transmitter transmits notification information using a weak wireless method,
The vital information transmission unit according to claim 2, wherein the second wireless transmitter transmits the notification information using a public mobile communication system having a transmission power larger than that of the weak wireless system.

Images