Method for distributing feed over a plurality of separate feeding locations and a feeding system therefor

A feeding system for distributing feed over a plurality of separate feeding locations in a farm, the system comprising:

• a feed delivery device;
• a feed loading system;
• and
• a feed control system,
• wherein the feed delivery device is configured to deliver feed to one or more feeding locations, wherein the feed loading system is configured to fill the feed delivery system and wherein the feed control system is configured to:
• a) determine which feeding locations have a feed requirement;
• b) select a first feeding location among the feeding locations having a feed requirement;
• c) determine a feed composition for the feed to be delivered to the first feeding location and determine a first amount of said feed to be delivered to the first feeding location;
• d) determine which further feeding locations having a feed requirement require the same feed composition as the first feeding location;
• e) select at least one further feeding location and determine a further amount of said feed to be delivered to said further feeding location;
• f) control the feed loading system to fill the feed delivery device with an amount of the determined feed composition;
• and
• g) control the feed delivery device to drive and move along the selected feeding locations and to distribute the filled amount of feed in the feed delivery device over the selected feeding locations,
• wherein the amount of feed distributed to a selected feeding location is dependent on the ratio between the amount of feed to be delivered to said selected feeding location and the sum of the amounts of feed to be delivered to all selected feeding locations times the filled amount.

A method for distributing feed over a plurality of separate feeding locations using a feed delivery device, comprising the following steps:

• a) determining which feeding locations have a feed requirement;
• b) selecting a first feeding location among the feeding locations having a feed requirement;
• c) determining a feed composition for the feed to be delivered to the first feeding location and determining a first feed amount of said feed to be delivered to the first feeding location;
• d) determining which further feeding locations having a feed requirement require the same feed composition as the first feeding location;
• e) selecting at least one further feeding location and determining a further amount of said feed to be delivered to said further feeding location;
• f) filling the feed delivery device with an amount of the determined feed composition;
• and
• g) distributing the filled amount of feed in the feed delivery device over the selected feeding locations,
• wherein the amount of feed from the filled amount which is distributed to a selected feeding location is dependent on the ratio between the amount of feed to be delivered to said selected feeding location and the sum of the amounts of feed to be delivered to all selected feeding locations times the filled amount;
• wherein selecting a first feeding location comprises determining a respective priority for the feeding locations having a feed requirement, wherein the first feeding location is the feeding location having the highest priority;
• and
• wherein determining which feeding locations have a feed requirement is based on a rest feed measurement which is representative for the amount of feed remaining at a feeding location, and wherein determining a respective priority for the feeding locations having a feed requirement is based on the rest feed measurement.

A method for distributing feed over a plurality of separate feeding locations using a feed delivery device, comprising the following steps:

• a) determining which feeding locations have a feed requirement;
• b) selecting a first feeding location among the feeding locations having a feed requirement;
• c) determining a feed composition for the feed to be delivered to the first feeding location and determining a first feed amount of said feed to be delivered to the first feeding location;
• d) determining which further feeding locations having a feed requirement require the same feed composition as the first feeding location;
• e) selecting at least one further feeding location and determining a further amount of said feed to be delivered to said further feeding location;
• f) filling the feed delivery device with an amount of the determined feed composition;
• and
• g) distributing the filled amount of feed in the feed delivery device over the selected feeding locations,
• wherein the amount of feed from the filled amount which is distributed to a selected feeding location is dependent on the ratio between the amount of feed to be delivered to said selected feeding location and the sum of the amounts of feed to be delivered to all selected feeding locations times the filled amount;
• wherein selecting a first feeding location comprises determining a respective priority for the feeding locations having a feed requirement, wherein the first feeding location is the feeding location having the highest priority;
• and
• wherein determining a respective priority for the feeding locations having a feed requirement is based on a period of time measured from a starting point in time when a feeding requirement of a respective feeding location was determined for the first time after an earlier point in time when feed was delivered to that location.

A feeding system for distributing feed over a plurality of separate feeding locations in a farm, the system comprising:

• a feed delivery device;
• a feed loading system;
• and
• a feed control system,
• wherein the feed delivery device is configured to deliver feed to one or more feeding locations, wherein the feed loading system is configured to fill the feed delivery system and wherein the feed control system is configured to:
• a) determine which feeding locations have a feed requirement;
• b) select a first feeding location among the feeding locations having a feed requirement;
• c) determine a feed composition for the feed to be delivered to the first feeding location and determine a first amount of said feed to be delivered to the first feeding location;
• d) determine which further feeding locations having a feed requirement require the same feed composition as the first feeding location;
• e) select at least one further feeding location and determine a further amount of said feed to be delivered to said further feeding location;
• f) control the feed loading system to fill the feed delivery device with an amount of the determined feed composition;
• and
• g) control the feed delivery device to drive and move along the selected feeding locations and to distribute the filled amount of feed in the feed delivery device over the selected feeding locations,
• wherein the amount of feed distributed to a selected feeding location is dependent on the ratio between the amount of feed to be delivered to said selected feeding location and the sum of the amounts of feed to be delivered to all selected feeding locations times the filled amount;
• wherein the feed control system is further configured to select the first feeding location by determining a respective priority for the feeding locations having a feed requirement, wherein the first feeding location is the feeding location having the highest priority.

A feeding system for distributing feed over a plurality of separate feeding locations in a farm, the system comprising:

• a feed delivery device;
• a feed loading system;
• and
• a feed control system,
• wherein the feed delivery device is configured to deliver feed to one or more feeding locations, wherein the feed loading system is configured to fill the feed delivery system and wherein the feed control system is configured to:
• a) determine which feeding locations have a feed requirement;
• b) select a first feeding location among the feeding locations having a feed requirement;
• c) determine a feed composition for the feed to be delivered to the first feeding location and determine a first amount of said feed to be delivered to the first feeding location;
• d) determine which further feeding locations having a feed requirement require the same feed composition as the first feeding location;
• e) select at least one further feeding location and determine a further amount of said feed to be delivered to said further feeding location;
• f) control the feed loading system to fill the feed delivery device with an amount of the determined feed composition;
• and
• g) control the feed delivery device to drive and move along the selected feeding locations and to distribute the filled amount of feed in the feed delivery device over the selected feeding locations,
• wherein the amount of feed distributed to a selected feeding location is dependent on the ratio between the amount of feed to be delivered to said selected feeding location and the sum of the amounts of feed to be delivered to all selected feeding locations times the filled amount;
• wherein the feed control system is further configured to determine which feeding locations have a feed requirement, based on a rest feed measurement which is representative for the amount of feed remaining at a feeding location;
• wherein the feed control system is further configured to determine which feeding locations have a feed requirement by comparing the rest feed measurement with a threshold value representative for a minimum amount of feed, wherein a feeding location is determined to have a feed requirement when the rest feed measurement for said feeding location is below the threshold value corresponding to said feeding location;
• and
• wherein the feed control system is further configured to determine a respective priority for the feeding locations having a feed requirement by determining a difference between the respective rest feed measurement and the corresponding threshold value for each feeding location having a feed requirement, and wherein the first feeding location is the feeding location having the largest difference.