RU2423825C1 - Device and method of cows identification - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: agriculture.

SUBSTANCE: method includes recognition of animal numbers, detection of animal's location and their direction to the required location. At the moment when a cow passes via a place of the number detection, it is delayed for several seconds by entrance automatic sorting gates, and with the help of a pneumatic drive with a mechanical hand, one back leg of the cow is simultaneously pushed back in the area of a hock joint for an instantaneous picture by a thermal imager to register shape of an udder and teats. The produced video signal is processed in the electronic unit of control together with electronic signals from a responder and electronic scales simultaneously. These signals are compared and accumulated in the memory unit database. Produced data is sent to a computer screen for visual control. After cow identification from the unit of gates control an unlocking signal is sent, and the cow is sent to a milking plant. The device comprises a thermal imager - an optoelectronic metering device that operates in the infrared area of electromagnet spectrum and converts internal thermal radiation of an animal into a visible area. The thermal imager is connected to an electronic control unit arranged in the form of a monoblock and comprising a unit of numbers recognition, a unit of signals amplification, a unit of animal location detection, a memory unit and a coupling unit. The monoblock is connected to the screen and the pneumatic drive with the mechanical hand to push back and fix the cow's back leg. The device also comprises an identifier made of a sensor in the form of a radiator chip in the animal's collar, a receiving antenna-responder, connected to the unit of animals numbers recognition.

EFFECT: increased speed and accuracy of a specific animal identification.

1 dwg

Description

The invention relates to agriculture, livestock, in particular for the identification of cows.

It is known to use electronic scales for weighing live weight of cows with remote transmission of weighing results. The most optimal scales for industrial animal husbandry are automatic platform electronic scales for weighing livestock “VPS”, manufactured in accordance with GOST 29329-92, having a TM6 weight terminal with averaging mode and interfaces.

The well-known automatic weighing system “DEIRI-MASTER” with automated breeding gates, providing accurate separation and fixing of cows during weighing.

The closest in technical essence to the proposed invention is a device for dividing the herd of animals into groups for health reasons (ed. St. USSR No. 1813383 of 05/07/1993, Bull. No. 17, applicant VNIMESH). The known device divides the herd of animals into healthy and sick with deviations according to the control physiological parameters of the animal’s body by assessing their condition by the degree of tension of the regulatory mechanisms of the body. The device includes electrocardiogram and thermal field sensors, signal amplification units of these sensors, a logical unit, a deviation unit, and a timer.

The disadvantages of the prototype are the following:

- insufficient recognition of animals - so the signals from the animal’s number sensor, consisting of an emitter located in the collar on the animal, are not accurately distinguished by the receiving antenna in industrial farms and also due to interference from sensors of other animals that are nearby in the herd a farm;

- insufficient reliability of thermal sensors in the active environment of the microclimate of livestock buildings;

- the impossibility of accurate identification of the animal, without supporting individual information specific to each animal;

- a large number of electronic elements, sensors located in close proximity to cows and equipment, taking into account maintenance and ensuring reliability - all this makes the use of this system a big problem;

- a system of an antenna and a device - the identifier of each cow entering the platform is not reliable enough: if the device of the electronic interrogator-responder is lost - the chip is in the collar, then data for a whole group of cows on the milking platform will be lost, for example, on platform 2 for 24 places , due to the absence of only one electronic interrogator-responder, data on 24 cows is lost;

- most animal recognition systems signal to the user about an unread electronic interrogator-responder, he can check which cow is in question and manually enter information into the system, with a large flow of dairy cows and a lack of user time, this approach is impractical.

The Bou-Matic Smart Identifier, Smart Animal Recognition, uses Neutral Network’s artificial intelligence learning and recognition technology, but only during milking. Those. the principle of operation is such that the system compares the expected milk yield of each cow with the milk that was measured in each stall if data of higher milk yield are obtained than the identified cows. The automated cow identification system provides information that, due to low accuracy, does not satisfy the use and management of cows in the control system.

The objective of the invention is to improve the identification of animals, a significant increase in the accuracy of determining a specific animal by comparing the main three determining parameters: the signals of the chip sensor on the collar, showing the number of the animal, the weight of the live weight of the cow before milking, and the data of an optical-electronic measuring device (thermal imager).

As a result of the use of the present invention, the identification of the animal for the directed movement of the animal is quickly and accurately achieved: 1) to the machine for machine milking, 2) to the machine for veterinary processing (treatment, blood collection, vaccination), 3) to the insemination machine, etc. d.

The above result is achieved by the fact that in the proposed method for identifying cows, in addition to recognizing the number of the animal by the chip of the individual collar, weighing, determining the exact location of the animal and direction to the desired location, when the cow passes through the place of recognition of the number, it is delayed for several seconds by automatic input sorting with the gate and with the help of a pneumatic drive with a mechanical arm, at the same time one cow’s hind foot is moved away in the hock joint area for a snapshot of the thermal imager that records the temperature, the shape of the udder and nipples, then the received video signal, together with the electronic signals from the antenna responder and the balance, is processed in the electronic control unit, while these signals are compared and accumulated in the database of the memory unit, and the received data is transmitted on the computer monitor, while the sorting gate is supplied with an unlocking signal directing the cow to the milking machine or to the machine for medical treatment.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that the proposed system is formed, consisting of a cow identification device containing a collar with a chip and a receiving antenna-responder; electronic scales; sorting gates; pneumatic actuator with a mechanical arm; an optical-electronic measuring device operating in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum - a thermal imager that transfers the animal’s own thermal radiation to the visible region and, a computer control unit made in the form of a monoblock, consisting of a number recognition unit, a signal amplification unit, an animal location determining unit, a unit memory, interface unit and monitor.

As a result of using a collar with a chip, electronic platform scales for weighing livestock “VPS”, manufactured in accordance with GOST 29329-92, having a TM6 weighing terminal with averaging mode and interfaces weighing the animal at the entrance to the milking unit (such as “Herringbone”, “ Tandem ”,“ Carousel ”, etc.) and an optical-electronic measuring device operating in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, the electronic signals from which simultaneously and simultaneously enter the computer control unit, where the locations are determined animal position, data are compared with the base of the memory block, processed and displayed on a computer screen - the animal is accurately and efficiently identified.

The essence of the invention is illustrated in the drawing, which shows a General diagram of a device for identifying cows.

The device comprises a thermal imager 1, an identifier consisting of a sensor in the form of an emitter chip 2 in the collar of an animal 3, a receiving antenna responder 4, an animal number recognition unit 5, a signal amplification unit 6, an animal location unit 7, a memory unit 8, an interface unit 9, forming a computer monoblock control 10, a computer monitor 11, sorting gate 12, a pneumatic actuator with a mechanical arm 13, electronic scales 14.

The thermal imager 1 is connected to the animal number recognition unit 5 connected to the signal amplification unit 6, which is connected to the animal location unit 7, connected to the memory unit 8. The memory unit 8 is connected to the interface unit 9 and the optical-electronic measuring device 1, data is displayed on the computer screen 11.

The proposed device operates as follows.

From the sensor 2, through the antenna 4, the signal enters the animal number recognition unit 5. Then the signal is amplified in block 6, the location of the animal is determined in block 7 and recorded in the memory unit 8. Through the interface unit 9, the hind limb of the cow is removed using a mechanical arm 13 and a snapshot is taken - measurement of the udder by the optoelectronic device 10 and the received data is sent to the electronic control unit - a computer and displayed on the monitor 11.

The method is as follows.

At the moment of passage to the milking, the cow is automatically delayed for several seconds by the input sorting gate in the technological zone - the platform represented by a 1000 × 2000 electronic weighing platform weighing the animal at the entrance to the milking unit (such as the Fir-tree, Tandem, Carousel and etc.) and using a pneumatic actuator, the mechanical arm simultaneously pushes back, fixes the hind leg of the cow in the area of the hock joint for an instant shot with a thermal imager. At this moment, the lens of the thermal imager is aimed at the udder and the shape of the udder and nipples is recorded, and the video signal is simultaneously processed simultaneously with electronic signals from the responder and electronic scales in the control unit, then a gate signal is sent from the control unit to the gate and the cow is sent to the milking machine. At the same time, within 1-2 seconds, electronic signals are transmitted through the signal amplification unit to the control unit, where they are compared and accumulated in the database of the memory unit, which significantly improves the accuracy and reliability of animal identification.

Such an optimal identification of the animal in real time allows the milk production process control system to successfully control and manage milk production technology, which leads to additional profit from the farm as a result of timely taken zootechnical and veterinary measures. The thermal imager operates in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, translating the animal’s own thermal radiation into the visible region. The intensity and spectrum of thermal radiation depend on the properties of the body and its temperature (range from 0 to + 60 ° C) with a sensitivity of 0.1 lux, which with a high degree of reliability determines the individual location and shape of the nipples of the mammary gland of cows. The shape of the udder and nipples is an individual silhouette of each cow, and together with a thermal imaging image of the temperature distribution of the cow’s mammary gland and a confirming indicator of weight, these factors are significantly more stable determining the individuality than the identification of the animal by the responder’s signals, which often go astray and overlap with other signals due to electromagnetic interference.

Claims (2)

1. A method for identifying cows by recognizing animal numbers, determining the location of the animal and directing them to the desired location, characterized in that when the cow passes through the number recognition place, it is delayed for several seconds by the input automatic sorting gate and simultaneously using a pneumatic actuator with a mechanical arm move one of the hind legs of the cow in the area of the hock for instant snapshot with a thermal imager to register the shape of the udder and nipples, then obtained The video signal is processed in the electronic control unit together with the electronic signals from the responder and the electronic balance simultaneously, while these signals are compared and stored in the database of the memory unit, the received data is transmitted to a computer monitor for visual control, and after identification of the cow from the gate control unit a unlocking signal is supplied and the cow is sent to the milking machine. 2. A cow identification device comprising an identifier consisting of a sensor in the form of an emitter chip in an animal’s collar, a receiving antenna-responder connected to an animal number recognition unit, a signal amplification unit, an animal location determining unit, a memory unit, an interface unit, characterized in that it contains a thermal imager - an optical-electronic measuring device operating in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum and translating the animal’s own thermal radiation into the visible region, while the lovisor is connected to the electronic control unit, made in the form of a monoblock and containing a number recognition unit, a signal amplification unit, an animal location unit, a memory unit and a pairing unit, and the monoblock, in turn, is connected to a monitor and a pneumatic actuator with a mechanical arm for retraction and fixing the hind legs of a cow.

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