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US 12,648,546 B2Granted
Method and control device for surveying eating behaviour of animals
AssigneeDeLaval Holding AB
InventorIlka Klaas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a method for managing animals by surveying eating behavior of the animals in a livestock area, including monitoring the animals over a time period subsequent to distributing feed at a feed table in the livestock area, identifying animal behavior that fails to meet a criteria, and performing an such as regrouping the animals or conducting a health check on the animals.
Claims19
A method for managing animals by monitoring eating behavior of the animals in a tracking zone of a livestock area comprising a feed table and a feeding zone close to the feeding table, the method comprising:
- obtaining one or more eating criteria defining normal eating behavior of animals with respect to activities of the animals in relation to the feed table and with respect to positions of the animals in relation to the feed table, wherein at least one eating criterion defines a ratio between actual eating time and time spent in the feeding zone;
- distributing feed at the feed table in the livestock area;
- monitoring over a time period subsequent to distributing the feed, using a real-time location system (RTLS), animal data acquired using tags carried by the animals, the RTLS comprising readers that receive wireless signals from the tags to determine, on a real-time basis, the instantaneous position of each tag in the tracking zone, and the tags being attached to the animals' heads or necks and comprising a motion sensor or accelerometer, wherein the animal data is indicative of the activities of the animals in relation to the feed table and the positions of the animals in relation to the feed table;
- determining eating behaviors of one or more of the animals based on the activities and positions indicated by the monitored animal data, the eating behaviors comprising an actual eating time;
- evaluating the determined eating behaviors using the one or more eating criteria, including comparing a ratio between actual eating time and time spent in the feeding zone to evaluate whether the eating behavior of an individual animal is normal;
- performing an action upon the determined eating behaviors failing to meet the one or more eating criteria, wherein the performing an action comprises providing information to a user that the one or more eating criteria were not met or comprises one or more of regrouping animals, splitting up an animal pair or group of animals, and conducting a health check on an animal.
3 more elements
A control device for monitoring eating behavior of animals in a tracking zone of a livestock area comprising a feed table and a feeding zone close to the feed table, wherein the control device is configured to:
- monitor, using a real-time location system, over a time period subsequent to distributing feed at a feed table in the livestock area, animal data acquired using tags carried by the animals, wherein the real-time location system comprises readers that receive wireless signals from the tags to determine, in real-time basis, the instantaneous position of each tag in the tracking zone, which tags are attached to the animal's heads, or necks, and comprising a motion sensor or accelerometer, and wherein the animal data is indicative of eating activities of the animals in relation to the feed table and positions of the animals in relation to the feed table;
- determine eating behaviors of one or more of the animals based on the eating activities and positions indicated by the monitored animal data, wherein the eating behaviors comprises an actual eating;
- evaluate the determined eating behaviors using the one or more eating criteria defining normal eating behavior, wherein the one or more eating criteria defines a ratio between actual eating time and time spent in the feeding zone and wherein the determined eating behavior is compared to this ratio to evaluate if the eating behavior of an individual animal is normal;
- perform an action upon the determined eating behaviors failing to meet the one or more eating criteria defining normal eating behavior of the animals with respect to the eating activities of the animals in relation to the feed table and positions of the animals in relation to the feed table, wherein the performing an action comprises providing information to a user about the failing to meet the one or more eating criteria and/or wherein performing an action comprises automatically performing an activity associated with the animals in the livestock area, comprising one or more of;
- regrouping animals to other group, splitting up an animal pair or group of animals that influence each other's eating behavior, and instructing a health check.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.