Speed sensor for animal stunner

A method of sensing the speed of a stunning rod of a pneumatic animal stunner, comprising:

• providing a housing having a front end, an inner chamber in the housing having a forward end and a rearward end, said inner chamber extending along a length of the housing, a piston slidable within the inner chamber, a stunning rod within the housing and capable of being driven by the piston forward and rearward towards and away from the front end of the housing, a nose disposed on the housing front end the nose including an opening in communication with the inner chamber, the nose including at least one bore formed in an outer surface of the nose at a distance from and perpendicular to the nose opening, said at least one bore having a tunnel extending into the nose and including a tunnel opening in a surface of the nose opening, and at least one beam sensor disposed within the at least one bore adjacent the tunnel and removed from the nose opening, the at least one beam sensor being in communication with a receiver;
• emitting a beam from the at least one beam sensor into the tunnel and through the nose opening to a surface diametrically opposed from the tunnel opening;
• firing the stunning rod to drive it forward towards the front end of the housing;
• measuring a movement speed of the stunning rod via the at least one beam sensor;
• and
• transmitting the movement speed to the receiver in communication with said at least one beam sensor.

A stunner nose for determining the speed of a stunning rod, the stunner nose for installation on a stunner comprising a housing having a front end, a rear end, and an opening therethrough, said opening having a stunning rod disposed therein and slidable within said stunner housing between said front end and said rear end, the stunner nose comprising:

• a nose opening in communication with the stunner opening;
• a bore formed on an outside surface of the nose at a distance from and perpendicular to the nose opening, said bore having a tunnel extending into the nose opening and including a tunnel opening in a surface of the nose opening;
• and
• a beam sensor within the bore adjacent the tunnel and removed from the nose opening, said beam sensor emitting a beam into the nose opening, the beam sensor capable of detecting movement of said stunning rod moving within the stunner after said stunner nose is installed on the stunner;
• wherein the at least one beam sensor emits a beam into the tunnel and through the nose opening to a surface diametrically opposed from the tunnel opening;
• wherein the beam sensor records an event to determine the movement speed of the stunning rod as it is driven forward within the stunner in view of the beam sensor, and further transmits the movement speed to a receiver for display.