Apparatus for farming animals such as pigs
AssigneeAsserva
InventorsDamien Monsimert, Thibault Hersant, Simon Rouxel, Audrey Gloux
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for farming animals, with a trough, a distributing system, an identifying system, a database and a control unit that allows, once an animal has been identified, the time passed ‘t’ since the time T0 corresponding to the last feed of said animal to be measured, a new value of the credit feed weight MC to be computed with the formula MC ( t ) = M P Δ T * ( t - T 0 ) + M C 0 and a succession of feed portions to be distributed to the trough until the animal is sated or until a zero or negative credit feed weight MC is obtained.
Claims8
An apparatus for farming animals, each bearing one identification element, said apparatus (100) comprising:
- a trough equipped with a sensor allowing the presence or absence of feed in the trough to be detected,
- a distributing system arranged to distribute portions of a feed to the trough (104),
- an identifying system allowing identification information stored in the identification element to be retrieved,
- a database containing, for each animal, the ceiling feed weight MP permitted for said animal for a given period ΔT, a minimum weight MM of a ration, a credit feed weight MC, and a time ‘T0’ corresponding to the last time at which the animal received feed, and
- a control unit that is in communication with the sensor of the trough, the distributing system, the identifying system and the database, the control unit comprising:
- identifying and waiting means allowing the control unit, on the basis of the information delivered by the identifying system, to detect whether an animal is present, to identify it and to retrieve the data relating to the identified animal from the database,
- measuring means allowing the control unit to measure the time ‘t’ passed since the time T0 corresponding to the last feed of said animal,
- first computing means allowing the control unit to compute a new value of the credit feed weight MC with the formula
- MC
-
- (
- t
- )
- =
- M
-
- P
- Δ
-
- T
- *
- (
- t
- -
- T
- 0
- )
- +
- M
-
- C
- 0
- ,
- where MC0 is a credit feed weight that remains to be consumed at the time T0,
- third testing means allowing the control unit to compare the credit feed weight MC to the minimum weight MM,
- distributing means allowing, in the case where the credit feed weight MC is higher than the minimum weight MM, the control unit to command the distributing system in order to make it distribute a portion of feed to the trough,
- second computing means allowing the control unit to compute a new value of the credit feed weight MC via subtraction of the weight of the distributed portion, and
- updating means allowing the control unit to update the value of the time T0 corresponding to the last feed with the value of the time ‘t’ and to assign to the latter the value “T0+t”.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.