Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 95132616 218 9 8 9 2 P~~SE95I00630
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IDENTITY AND COW ESTRUS INDICATOR
TECFINICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a movable device for auto-
matic indication both of identity and of other variables, the
device being in particular intended to be carried by a domestic
animal such as a cow.
Identification systems for domestic animals which comprise a
passive transponder unit attached to the animal are well-known,
see e.g. the patent US-A 4,510,495. In such a system, in the
transponder unit receiver circuits are provided for receiving
radio waves of high frequency and for storing energy drawn from
these waves. Further there are transmitter circuits for trans-
mitting, by means of such stored energy and by radio waves,
identity information which uniquely identifies the transmitting
unit and thereby the domestic animal to which the transponder
unit is attached.
In the patent US-A 4,247,758 for James A. Rodrian it is that
a domestic animal such as a dairy cow is provided With a
transponder unit which is connected to an electronic counter
register powered by a battery for storing the number of signals
obtained from a motion.detector or sensor.. When the transponder
is located within a region which is reached by radio signals from
a questioning unit, the transponder unit transmits data by means
of radio signals data, this data comprising information which
constitutes an identification number of the domestic animal and
also indicates the number of movements that the domestic animal
has made. By evaluating this latter transmitted number it is
possible to decide whether the cow is or is not in the estrus
period. ,
In the European patent having the publication No. EP-B1 0 087
015, also for James A. Rodrian, a similar device is disclosed
where the transponder unit instead transmits data indicating
whether the number of counted movements during a predetermined
time period exceeds the reference value by a predetermined
amount.
A transponder unit having a motion sensor and a counter for
the number of movements is also disclosed in the patent US-A
4,618,861 for John W. Gettens et al., where the supply of
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electrical current instead is provided by the way that the motion
sensor in the conventional way generates electrical pulses and by
storing and utilizing the energy of the pulses for the
transmission of information.
In the use of passive transponders having no interior own
current supply, at each operation thereof energy must be provided
from the outside. It is made, as has been mentioned above,
usually by means of high frequency energy transferred by radio
Waves, the energy being stored in a capacitor in the unit. The
stored energy is then used for transmitting a radio signal
carrying some type of desired information. For natural reasons
such high frequency energy can only be transferred over
relatively restricted distances, of the magnitude of order of one
or a few meters at most. When an identification system also is
used for collecting data, for example for detection of the number
of movements or accelerations, some type of an active or more
powerful current supply must be arranged, at least for driving a
clock and a register, in Which the collected data are stored.
Therefore, when such collecting of data is to performed, in most
cases a battery is required. A battery has a limited useful
lifetime, which is a distinctive disadvantage for identification
units, which in the ideal case are to be attached to the animal
and are to remain there and be operative for a long time period.
In certain cases the motion sensor, see the mentioned patent for
John w. Gettens, can itself, having no current supply from the
outside, generate the pulses which are used for modifying a
register or a memory.
For identification devices which are to transmit their in-
formation over long distances, it must be possible to transmit
sufficiently strong radio signals and therefor a current supply
of the type battery is required. It can be particularly important
in the detection of estrus in cows, since they can go loosely
during the non-milking period and are seldom collected to some
feeding place or similar place. Such a transmission of infor-
mation over longdistances utilizing the energy of a battery
should however be executed as seldom as possible, since in at
each transmission occasion relatively much energy is consumed.
SUfIrlARY
It is an object of the invention to provide a data collecting
WO 95I326I6 PCT/SE95/00630
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and identification unit which can be used on a domestic animal
during a long time without being looked after or without any
replacement of components or parts in the unit.
' It is a further object of the invention to provide an
identification unit for a domestic animal combined with a
movement sensor, which can transmit important information also
over large distances.
These objects are achieved by the invention, the features and
characteristics of which appear from the detailed description and
in particular from the appended claims.
Generally thus, in a device for transmitting data from a
movable unit such as from a domestic animal a conventional
passive transponder unit is arranged which is connected to an
antenna. The transponder comprises means for storing electrical
energy from electrical voltage pulses received on the antenna and
can by means of the stored energy transmit on the antenna pulse
sequences carrying information such as identification data of the
device. Further in the device, a permanent electrical current
source is provided such as a lithium battery, which drives a pro-
cessor. The processor-receives signals from a motion sensor and
is coupled to a transmitter having an antenna and can activate
the transmitter for transmitting radio signals having a good
range, when the motion sensor signals an increased activity, such
as for a non-milking cow during the estrus period.
More strictly speaking, in a device for transmitting data
from a movable unit, in particular for transmitting identifi-
cation data and data concerning movement patterns from a domestic
animal, a first passive subunit or transponder unit is provided,
comprising a receiver antenna and means for storing electrical
energy comprised in electrical voltage pulses received on the re-
ceiver antenna and further comprising a first transmitter antenna
and means for transmitting on the transmitter antenna pulse se-
quences containing information. In the device also a second sub-
device is arranged, comprising an electrical current source of
battery type and a second transmitter antenna and means for
transmitting pulse sequences containing information on this
second transmitter antenna. The second subdevice comprises
suitably a processor having memory means for storing data, in
particular changing data obtained from a detector or sensor. The
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processor will signal an abnormal state when the changing data
have changed sufficiently quickly, such as that the data is a
counter value indicating the number of detected movements, the
processor signalling when the value has increased beyond a pre- "
determined threshold value during a set time, or generally has
passed the threshold value in a predetermined direction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described in more detail with
reference to a non-limiting embodiment and with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a block diagram of circuits for transmitting
identification information and of movement data,
Fig. 2 is a front view of a unit comprising the circuits
according to Fig. 1 built into a house,
Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of an embodiment of a pulse
forming circuit and
Fig. 4 is a flow diagram of a procedure executed by a
processor comprised in the circuits of Fig. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In Fig. 1, in a block diagram and partly schematically, a
device is illustrated intended to be placed in a casing or house,
see Fig. 2, which in turn is intended to be for instance
suspended around the neck of a domestic animal. The device
comprises functions for identification and detection of
movements. For the identification a transponder unit 1 is used of
principally conventional type, such as a unit which is sold by
the company Texas Instruments under the trade name "TIRIS", see
also for instance the patent documents DE-C2 3920666, DE-C1
4002801, EP-A1 0480530, EP-A1 0301127, DE-C1 4004196, EP-B1
0299557, US-A 5,510,495, and US A 5,028,918, and it will not be
described here in detail. The transponder 1 comprises an antenna
3 and is susceptible of receiving thereon high frequency energy ,
(frequencies of for instance about 100 - 200 kHz), which is used
for driving circuits in the transponder, primarily for trans- ,
mitting identification data stored in a register, as is
illustrated at 5 in Fig. I.
The completely passive transponder 1, which for the operation
thereof does not require any exterior electrical current source,
is connected to a processor 7. The processor is designed for nor-
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WO 95!32616 PCT/SE95100630
ma! electronic processor operations and is provided with memo-
ries, clock circuits, etc. The processor 7 has an exterior own
constant electrical current supply in the shape of a suitable
' electrochemical battery such as a lithium battery 9. The battery
9 also supplies power to a transmitter 11 of radio frequency
waves, for instance having a frequency in the range of about 30
MHz, and is therefor connected to an antenna 13. The processor 7
receives as an input signal electrical pulses on a line from a
motion sensor 15, which preferably is of the type, which is
described in the patent iJS-A 5,183,056 for BjBrn Darn et al, as-
signed to Siemens Elema AB. The electrical pulses from the detec-
tor 15 can be shaped to suitable electrical voltage pulses by a
pulse forming circuit 14, before they are delivered to the pro-
cessor. The processor 7 can also receive signals from the tran-
sponder unit 1 and can possibly therethrough also transmit data
information by means of the antenna 3 connected to the transpon-
der 1.
The device illustrated in fig. 1 operates in the following
way. The motion sensor 11 detects all the time or permanently the
movement of for instance a domestic animal, to which the device
is attached in some way as being suspended in a neck chain, and
electrical signals indicating the movements are sent to the
microprocessor 7. The microprocessor 7 is in the preferred case
active only during periodically repeated time intervals such as
during some minute in each hour but can also possibly be
permanently active and the energy supply to the processor 7 is
always provided, during the active time periods thereof, from the
battery 9. During the activity period the pulses received from
the movement sensor 15 are evaluated and counted, the result
being stored in a register as a pulse counter 17.
The processor 7 contains, as has been indicated above, also a
clock circuit and it is arranged to store the present time in a
register illustrated at 19. By means of the values in these
registers, i.e. the number of pulses in the pulse counter 17 and
the current time in the register 19, the processor 7 evaluates at
each instant when it is active, whether the movement activity or
intensity, i.e. the number of movements per time unit, is larger
than a threshold value stored in a third register 21. If the
movement intensity is sufficiently high, the processor 7
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activates the transmitter 11, which is also powered by the
battery 9, and transmits a message on the antenna, the message
containing both identifying information accessed from the memory
of the transponder unit 1, and information signalling that the
movement intensity now is larger than the threshold value.
Further, a flag in a register 22 is set indicating that the
movement intensity is now high. By the battery operation of the
transmitter 11 the signal issued from the antenna 13 will obtain
a reasonably large transmission range, for instance of the
magnitude of order of hundreds of metres.
When the whole device instead approaches a specially arranged
questioning station, not shown, which for domestic animals can be
located at the entrance of a feeding place and which issues
pulses of a frequency of the magnitude of order I00 - 200 kHz,
and when the device is sufficiently close to the questioning
station, for.instance 50 cm at most from the antenna thereof, the
electrical energy of the radio waves can be received by the
transponder unit 1 by means of its associated antenna 3. The
transponder antenna 3 operates in a similar manner as the
secondary winding in a transformer, and the received energy or
induced energy is stored in a suitable way, for instance in a
capacitor, indicated at 23. The energy stored is used by the
transponder unit 1 for then transmitting on its antenna 3
identifying information and also a data value accessed from the
activity flag in the register 22 in the processor 7 indicating
whether the movement intensity at the latest measurement has
exceeded or was lower than the threshold value, which is stored
in the register 21 in the processor 7.
The radio signals of a higher frequency issued from the
antenna 13 are also received by a receiver unit, not shown, for
instance the same questioning station which has been already
described, and are evaluated in a suitable way as well as the
mentioned data value transmitted by the transponder unit 1. When
thus a signal of increased movement intensity is received, par-
ticular steps can be made for giving an indication to animal
keeping persons that now the right time has arrived for executing
insemination or similar measures.
In Fig. 4 an example of a flow diagram is illustrated com
prising the various operational steps performed by the processor.
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First it is thus awaited that the procedure for measuring
movement activity is to be started, by activating the processor
7, for instance by some suitable timing circuit, not shown,
therein. The procedure then starts in a start block 401, after
which the counter 17 is reset to zero in a block 403. Then it is
tested in a block 405 whether any pulse has been received from
the motion sensor 15. If it is not the case, it is decided in a
block 407, whether the time of the activity measurement has
elapsed, i.e. for instance that a time period of one minute has
elapsed since the procedure was started. If it is not the case,
the procedure returns to the block 405 for questioning if any new
pulse has arrived.
If it is decided in the block 405 that a new pulse has
arrived, the counter 17 is incremented in a block 409, after
which the procedure continues to the block 407 for deciding again
whether the time of the measurement has elapsed. If it is decided
in the block 407 that the time has elapsed, it is determined in a
block 411, whether the value of the counter is larger than the
threshold value stored in the register 21. If it is true, in a
block 413 the transmitter 11 is started for transmitting
information that the activity is now high for the animal in
question. After that the flag stored in the register 22 is set in
a block 415, and then the procedure is ended in a block 417 for
awaiting a new measuring period.
If it was decided in the block 411, that the counter value
stored in the register 17 in the processor 7 does not exceed the
threshold value, the procedure continues to a block 419. Therein
it is decided whether any pulses at all has been counted in the
procedure, i.e. if the counter in the register 17 still is equal
to zero. If it is the case, the movement detector is very
probably faulty and then the procedure continues to a block 421,
where the rf-transmitter 11 is activated for transmitting
information that the motion detector of the domestic animal
probably is faulty and needs to be replaced. Then in a block 423
the flag stored in the register 22 is reset, after which the
procedure is ended in the block 417. If it was decided in the
block 419, that at least one pulse has been counted, it can be
assumed, that the movement detector is still operative but that
the activity is low, and then the procedure continues to the
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block 423 for resetting the activity flag, after which the
procedure as above is ended in the block 417.
In Fig. 2 the circuits of Fig. i are illustrated as built
into a casing or house 25, comprising holes or openings 27 for '
attachment to a neck chain, neck belt or similar device (not
shown) of a domestic animal. A circuit board 29 is mounted in the
house 25 and comprises the circuits illustrated in Fig. 1
connected by conductive paths, not shown, on the board 25. The
antenna 3 is arranged in the shape of a winding having several
turns located directly inside the circumference of the house 25
and is through electrically conducting wires 31 connected to
electrically conducting areas of the board 25. The antenna 13 for
radio frequency comprises a shorter electrical conducting wire
also connected to a suitable conducting area on the board 25.
A simple embodiment of the pulse shaping circuit 14 is
illustrated in Fig. 3. The output signal from the motion detector
15 is supposed to be of type sinus signal having a somewhat
varying frequency and a decreasing amplitude for each detected
movement. It is provided to an operational amplifier 33 on one of
its input terminals, for instance its inverting terminal, a
reference voltage Vref. being applied to its other input
terminal. The output signal from the operational amplifier will
then have a shape comprising pulses of a suitable constant
voltage level-but having somewhat varying length or width. The
pulses are evaluated in a suitable manner by the microprocessor
7, for instance by counting the number thereof. The reference
voltage Vref. can be controlled by the microprocessor through a
DA-converter or similar device, not shown, built into it and thus
the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier 25
can be connected to the processor 7 through a line 27, shown in
dotted lines in fig. 1.
In an embodiment of the device according to Fig. 1 the trans-
mitter 11 can alternatively be the transmitter part which is con-
ventionally arranged in passive transponders, and in that case
naturally the antenna 13 is the same as the antenna 3 for the
transponder unit 1, i.e. the transmitter 11 and the antenna 13
are omitted and the battery 9 delivers, at the particular occa-
sions described, energy for operation of the transponder unit 1.
