JPH07109431B2 - Method and apparatus for tracking animal behavior with fixed stations - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) The present invention relates to the behavior of the position of animals such as wild animals, livestock, and birds, as well as the behavior related to the position, the body temperature of the living body, the situation of pulse, etc. And apparatus for tracking the condition of animals in a fixed station.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as a method for tracking and monitoring the behavior of wild animals or livestock, a plurality of ground receiving stations receive signals from a transmitter held by the animals to measure the position of the animal. The so-called telemetry method is known. In this case, the terrestrial receiving station needs to be installed at multiple locations within the range of behavior in which the movement of animals is predicted, so it is usually installed in a remote mountain area, and at the time of measurement, multiple ground stations installed in this remote mountain area are used. I had to go to the receiving station.

On the other hand, the body temperature of the animal, the state of the living body such as pulse, it was possible to measure in the state of capturing the animal, but it is almost possible to measure in the original living environment of the animal, and in the state of not capturing it. There wasn't.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) In the method of tracking and monitoring the behavior of animals by the conventional telemetry method, at the time of measurement, a plurality of ground receiving stations installed in a remote mountain area are visited, and during the measurement period, the ground receiving station is used. It was necessary to collect and organize the received data of. Therefore,
The work of tracking and monitoring the behavior of animals was as hard work as the work of directly tracking and investigating animals, and there was a problem that data collection was limited.

Further, since biological information such as the body temperature and pulse rate of the animal can be obtained only in the captured state, it has been difficult to investigate the living body of the animal, especially the natural state of the wild animal.

The present invention solves such problems, and the behavioral loci of moving animals such as wild animals, livestock, and birds, as well as animals such as wild animals, livestock, and birds, from which raw data relating to the condition of individuals can be easily obtained. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device for tracking the behavior of a person with a fixed station.

(Means for Solving the Problems) This invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is a mobile station that is held or mounted on animals such as wild animals, livestock, and birds, and periodically measures its own position, This is temporarily stored in the memory provided in the mobile station, and the data stored in the memory is transmitted to the fixed station according to the instructions of the fixed station, so that the movement track of the animal can be collected regularly at the fixed station. is there. The animals are mainly wild animals, livestock, birds, and other animals.

Further, when the target is an animal, the mobile station is provided with an animal body temperature, pulse rate, and other necessary biosensors, and the biometric data from the biosensor is also temporarily stored in a memory in the mobile station together with the position data. Then, the accumulated data is transmitted to the fixed station in accordance with the instruction of the fixed station so that the biological data in a natural state can be collected.

The mobile station measures its own position by receiving ranging signals transmitted from a plurality of satellites (GPS (global)).
Positioning System Global Positioning System,
For example, JP-A-61-235775) can be used.

That is, the invention of the method is such that a mobile station held by an animal periodically receives ranging signals from a plurality of ranging signal generation sources, and at the same time, data on an animal is periodically collected by a sensor held by the animal. Position data based on the received distance measurement signal and body temperature pulse beats and other collected data are stored in a memory in the mobile station, while the data stored in the memory is stored in the fixed station in response to a calling signal from the fixed station. It is a method of tracking the behavior of an animal by the fixed station, which is characterized in that the fixed station transmits the transmitted data to the fixed station, and the fixed station tracks the behavior of the animal based on the received data. .

Further, the invention of the device is a calculation unit for calculating a distance measurement signal and a calling signal receiving unit, a sensor for an animal, position data from the distance measurement signal, and calculation of body temperature pulse and other sampling data from the signal of the sensor. A processing unit and a memory for storing the position data and the sampling data,
A mobile station (1) having a transmitting unit for reading and transmitting data from the memory, which can be held by an animal, a transmitting unit for the calling signal, and a receiving unit for receiving the read data. And a fixed station (2) having an arithmetic processing unit for the data received by the receiving unit, which is a device for tracking the behavior of an animal at the fixed station.

In the above, it is desirable to store the position data or the position data and the collected data in the memory together with the time data, but since the measurement is performed regularly, it is also possible to obtain the time by back calculation. It does not have to be stored together with the data.

Also, each element such as the receiving unit and the arithmetic processing unit that make up the mobile station does not always need to be operated at all times, so it can be operated according to the time schedule stored in memory or only when a signal from the sensor is received. It is desirable to allow it.

(Operation) According to the present invention, since the position data is stored in the memory in the mobile station and the stored information is collected in the fixed station, it is sufficient to go to the fixed station and collect data when necessary. The work can be done easily and the behavioral loci of wild animals, livestock, birds and other animals can be easily analyzed from the position data. Since the mobile station stores the position data in the memory, it is not necessary to maintain a constant communication state with the fixed station, and the behavior of the moving object can be tracked by regular communication. Further, since it is possible to call up a necessary animal when necessary and collect accumulated data, it is possible to manage a large number of animals at the same time.

In addition, from the collected data, it is possible to analyze and investigate the living body of animals in the natural environment.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which only position measurement is performed. 1 is a mobile station, 2 is a fixed station, and 3 is a satellite that transmits a ranging signal.

The mobile station 1 includes a transmission / reception unit 5 controlled by the control unit 4, an arithmetic processing unit 6 and a memory 7. On the other hand, the fixed station 2 includes a transmission / reception unit 9 controlled by the control unit 8 and an arithmetic processing unit.
10 and an output unit 11 are provided.

The transmitting / receiving unit 5 of the mobile station 1 has a function of receiving a distance measurement signal transmitted from the satellite 3 and a function of receiving a calling signal transmitted from the transmitting / receiving unit 9 of the fixed station 2.

Further, the arithmetic processing unit 6 has a function of calculating its own position as two-dimensional or three-dimensional data by performing an arithmetic operation based on a plurality of distance measurement signals received by the transmitting / receiving unit 5.

This mobile station 1 is integrated with an animal to be measured.
If the target of measurement is an animal such as a wild animal, livestock, or a bird, the animal should be allowed to be retained outside or inside the body.

On the other hand, the transmitter / receiver 9 of the fixed station 2 has a function of transmitting a calling signal for calling the mobile station 1 and a function of receiving an information signal of the memory 7 transmitted from the mobile station 1 side. When there are a plurality of mobile stations 1, the paging signal includes desired code number information. The arithmetic processing unit 10 has a function of arithmetically analyzing the data received by the transmitting / receiving unit 9, and the output unit 11 has a function of outputting the result of the arithmetical analysis, and is composed of a display, a printer, a floppy disk drive and the like. To be done.

Next, the measuring method according to the above embodiment will be described.

The control unit 4 of the mobile station 1 controls the transmission / reception unit 5 periodically,
The ranging signal from the satellite 3 is received at a predetermined time interval. The received distance measurement signal is sent to the arithmetic processing unit 6, the position of the mobile station 1 is calculated by the arithmetic processing unit 6, and this position data is sequentially stored in the memory 7 together with the time data at the time of reception. Therefore, by repeating calculation and storage from this measurement, the locus of movement of the mobile station 1, that is, the animal, is stored in the memory 7.

To collect animal movement data, the control unit 8 of the fixed station 2 operates the transmission / reception unit 9 to transmit a call signal to the mobile station 1. When there are a plurality of mobile stations 1, a code signal for identifying the mobile station 1 is also included in the paging signal.

The mobile station 1 that has received the call signal (when the code number is included, when its own code number is identified) sends a reception command to the control unit 4, and the memory 7 is sent via the control unit 4.
The data stored in the fixed station 2
Send data to.

In the fixed station 2, the data from the mobile station 1 is received by the transmission / reception section 9 and sent to the control section 8, the data processing is performed by the arithmetic processing section 10, and graphic display and other output display are performed by the output section 11 according to the processing result. To do. The above-mentioned time interval for the collection of the mobile data by the fixed station 2 is determined in consideration of the capacity that the memory 7 can store, and is set so that the mobile data does not overflow.

Next, FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which the body temperature, pulse rate, etc. of the animal are simultaneously measured when the object to be measured is an animal.
Is a sensor for collecting biometric data. The number of sensors 12 may be one or plural. For the sensor 12, a thermistor sensor, a platinum sensor, a semiconductor pressure sensor, or the like is used. The other structure is the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment.

In this embodiment, the mobile station 1 measures and calculates position data.
At the same time as the accumulation, the biological data relating to the biology of the animal which holds the mobile station 1 is also measured and collected by the sensor 12 and accumulated in the memory 7 together with the time data. Therefore, the fixed station 2 can call the mobile station 1 to collect its position data and biometric data.

Further, FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which a timer 13 is attached to the mobile station 1 in addition to the embodiment of FIG. 2 so that various elements constituting the mobile station 1 can be operated when necessary. The transmission / reception unit 5 is shown as a distance measurement signal reception unit 5a and a signal transmission / reception unit 5b for exchanging signals with the fixed station 2. The control unit 4 and the arithmetic processing unit 6 are one element of the microcomputer 14.

A switch 15 is provided in each of the distance measurement signal receiving unit 5a, the signal transmitting / receiving unit 5b, the memory 7, and the sensor 12, and the switch 15 can be turned on / off by a signal from the timer 13. 16 in the figure is a battery.

On the other hand, in the fixed station 2, the control section 8 and the arithmetic processing section 10 are one element as a computer 17, a display 11a and a memory disk 11b are provided as an output section, and a keyboard 18 is an input section of the computer 17.
Is provided. The signal transmitting / receiving unit 9 is also provided with a code oscillator 19 for setting the code of the mobile station 1 to be called.

In this embodiment, each switch 15 is turned on according to the time schedule set in the timer 13 of the mobile station 1,
It can be turned off, and operations other than necessary circuits can be suspended to save battery consumption.

That is, at the time of non-measurement, only the receiving circuit in response to the call from the fixed station 2 and the record holding of the memory 7 are operated, and the other circuits are put in the idle state. At the time of measurement, the switch 15 of the necessary circuit is turned on by the instruction of the timer 13, the position is measured by the distance measuring signal and the situation is measured by the sensor 12, and the switch 15 is turned off again when the measurement is completed. In this way, the battery 16 is saved.

The time schedule set in the timer 13 is stored in the timer 13 in advance, but the time schedule may be rewritten at any time by an instruction from the fixed station 2.

When the power saving of the battery 16 is performed in this manner, the battery 16 can be downsized as a result, and thus the entire mobile station 1 can be downsized. And one more battery 16
Since it is possible to measure for a long time with a single installation, it is possible to reduce the frequency of battery replacement and free from the work of battery replacement. In particular, when the target object is a wild animal, it is a difficult work because it needs to be captured, but this problem can be solved.

Further, the mobile station 1 can be reduced in size and weight, and the target range of animals that can be mounted can be widened.

The ON / OFF control of various elements by the timer is performed in place of the timer, or in addition to the timer, by determining whether the signal to be recorded is generated from the sensor 12, and the signal to be recorded is generated. It is also possible to turn on the necessary circuits only for the required time only when it is on. As a result, there is a possibility of further size reduction and weight reduction.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the invention described in claims 1 and 3, the position of a mobile station mounted on or carried by an animal such as a wild animal, livestock, or a bird is measured and measured. This was sequentially accumulated in memory and the accumulated data was collected in a fixed manner, so by communicating regularly between a fixed station and a mobile station, the behavioral trajectory of wild animals, body temperature in nature, pulse, etc. There is an effect that can be easily obtained.

Communication between mobile stations and fixed stations does not have to be carried out at all times and can be carried out periodically, so the occupation rate of assigned radio frequencies can be reduced, and as a result, many moving objects can be placed under surveillance and managed simultaneously. effective.

Further, according to the invention described in claims 2 and 4, in addition to the above effect, the biometric data and the institutional data are sampled at the same time as the position measurement, and are stored in the memory.
There is an effect that biometric data can be easily obtained together with the behavior locus of the animal.

In particular, since the mobile station is provided with a memory and the data is stored in the memory, the following effects can be obtained in any of the inventions.

That is, since the fixed station calls the mobile station only when necessary and collects data, the number of transmissions of the mobile station can be extremely reduced, the battery consumption can be reduced, and this also contributes to size reduction and weight reduction. be able to.

Since it is not necessary for the mobile station and the fixed station to constantly communicate with each other, one radio wave can manage a large number of mobile stations.

For migratory animals or animals with nests, installing a fixed station near the nest makes it easier to collect data.
In addition, even weak radio waves enable accurate and reliable communication between mobile stations and fixed stations. In particular, there is an effect that various data on the living condition of animals can be continuously collected.

Even when an animal leaves a place farther than the reach of radio waves, the data is stored in the mobile station and all the data can be collected when the animal returns within the reach of the radio waves.

Since only the necessary data in the distance measurement signal can be reasonably recorded in the memory, the communication time with the fixed station can be shortened. As a result, the number of animals that can be managed can be increased.

Data can be collected when communication is restored, even if there is radio interference or communication interference.

Even if there is a power outage or other failure on the fixed station side, the mobile station can store its own data and can collect all data when the fixed station recovers from the failure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the second embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the third embodiment. 1 ... mobile station, 2 ... fixed station, 3 ... satellite 4,8 ... control section, 5,9 ... transmission / reception section, 5a ... distance measurement signal reception section 5b ... signal transmission / reception section, 6,10 ...... Processing unit, 7 ... Memory 11 ... Output unit, 11a ... Display, 11b ... Memory disk 12 ... Sensor, 13 ... Timer 14 ... Microcomputer, 15 ... Switch 16 ... Battery, 17 …… Computer, 18 …… Keyboard 19 …… Code oscillator

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A mobile station held by an animal periodically receives ranging signals from a plurality of ranging signal generating sources, and
Data on the animal is periodically collected by the sensor held by the animal, and the position data based on the received distance measurement signal, the body temperature pulse beat and other collected data are accumulated in the memory in the mobile station, while calling from the fixed station. Depending on the signal, the data stored in the memory is sent to the fixed station,
A method for tracking the behavior of an animal by the fixed station, characterized in that the transmission data is received by the fixed station and the behavior of the animal is tracked by the fixed station based on the received data. 2. A receiving unit for a distance measuring signal and a calling signal, a sensor for an animal, an operation for calculating position data from the distance measuring signal, and an operation for calculating a body temperature pulse and other sampling data from the signal of the sensor. A processing unit, a memory for storing the position data and the sampling data, and a transmission unit for reading and transmitting the data from the memory,
A mobile station (1) that can be held by an animal, a transmitter for transmitting the calling signal, a receiver for receiving the read data, and an arithmetic processing unit for the data received by the receiver. Device for tracking animal behavior at a fixed station, characterized by being configured with a station (2)