System and method for monitoring at least one animal in dairy farm comprising plurality of zones

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for monitoring at least one animal (100), such as at least one dairy cow, in a dairy farm (1) comprising a plurality of zones. Animal position data (P) is determined by an animal positioning means (200), the animal position data comprising in which zone (Z) of the plurality of zones the at least one animal (100) is positioned at a particular moment in time. Furthermore, at least one respective response (R) from the at least one animal (100) is registered by at least one animal sensor arrangement (300), the at least one respective response indicating a level of physical and / or psychological stress and / or discomfort of the at least one animal (100) at a specific time. Associating, by the control unit (20), at least one respective response (R) from the at least one animal (100) with the corresponding animal position data (P) to determine in which zone (Z) the at least one animal (100) is positioned at the specific moment at which the at least one respective response (R) is registered. A zone-specific stress level (Sz) for the zone (Z) is determined by the control unit (20) on the basis of the at least one respective response (R), and an action is triggered by the control unit (20) if the zone-specific stress level (Sz) meets a stress level criterion (Sc).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to systems and methods for monitoring at least one animal, such as at least one dairy cow, in a dairy farm. Background Art

[0002] Stress will negatively affect the animals in a dairy farm in different ways. One negative effect is the impairment of the reflex called "milk ejection" driven by oxytocin. Therefore, stress will lead to a decrease in milk production, and thus a lower profitability of the dairy farm. Stress is also an indicator of the health of the animals of interest. Therefore, farmers are interested in monitoring the stress level within the herd of their dairy farm.

[0003] There are various prior art systems for monitoring the stress of animals in a dairy farm, for example by measuring the rumination activity or movement of the animals. However, there is a need for an improved system that provides a more understandable output of the stress level among the animals in a dairy farm. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to alleviate some of the drawbacks of the existing systems and methods for monitoring the stress of animals in a dairy farm. Stress should be interpreted herein as physical, emotional or psychological strain and / or lack of comfort.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, this object is achieved by a system for monitoring at least one animal in a dairy farm, wherein the dairy farm includes a plurality of zones, each zone being associated with a corresponding unique zone tag. These zones are to be interpreted as different areas or spaces serving various functions at the dairy farm, and wherein at least some of the areas or spaces include various assets. Examples of zones are a milking area (including, for example, one or more pillars, milking platforms, milking robots, rotary milking platforms or any other type of milking equipment), a pre-milking area (where the animals are kept waiting to be milked, also known as a holding area, waiting area, holding pen), a resting area, a feeding area, a grazing area, a walking path, etc. A zone can also be interpreted as a sub-zone of an area or space at the dairy farm. Examples of such zones are a milking platform, a pen on a rotary platform or a milking robot in a milking area.

[0006] The system includes animal positioning components configured to determine animal position data, wherein the animal position data includes which of the plurality of zones at least one animal is located in at a specific moment. In other words, the unique zone tag of the zone in which the animal of interest is located at the specific moment of interest is included in the animal position data.

[0007] The system further includes at least one animal sensor arrangement for registering at least one corresponding response from the at least one animal, the at least one corresponding response indicating the level of physical and / or psychological stress and / or discomfort of the at least one animal at a particular moment. The at least one registered corresponding response can be regarded as indicating the health or relaxation level of the at least one animal of interest. The system further includes a control unit configured to receive or determine the corresponding response and animal location data, and to correlate the corresponding response from the at least one animal with the corresponding animal location data for the same at least one animal to determine in which zone the at least one animal was located at the particular moment when the corresponding response was registered. In this context, "corresponding" means the response and animal location data for the animal that are timestamped with the same or substantially the same moment. Due to the zoning of the dairy farm layout and since both the animal location data and the corresponding response from the at least one animal are determined and registered separately, for a particular moment, the response and animal location data will be timestamped. The animal location data will include a timestamp of the time when the at least one animal was located in the zone together with the unique zone label of the zone. The corresponding response will include a timestamp with the corresponding time at which the corresponding response was registered from the at least one animal. Thus, the control unit can determine which animal location data corresponds to which corresponding response by using the timestamps. When correlating the response with the corresponding animal location data, the zone label included in the corresponding animal location data can be assigned to the response. Thus, the control unit can determine the whereabouts of the at least one animal for each registered response from the animal.

[0008] The control unit is further configured to determine a zone-specific stress level for the zone based on at least one corresponding response that has been associated with the zone in which the at least one animal has been located, and to trigger an action if the zone-specific stress level meets a stress level criterion.

[0009] Thus, the monitored stress levels are automatically associated with different zones of the dairy farm. Milking animals (such as cows) are exposed to different external stressors in different zones of the dairy farm. Such external stressors can be, for example, inexperienced personnel treating the animals in an incorrect or rough manner, newly introduced machines, noise, machine interactions (such as attaching milking cups to the animal's teats), too high or too low temperature, weather conditions, uncomfortable conditions (such as hard floors, slippery and / or crowded). Through the above aspects of the present invention, the zones of the dairy farm that induce stress in the animals can be identified by correlating (i.e., linking / combining / matching) the location of the animal with the response indicating the stress from the animal.

[0010] By monitoring the stress levels in areas of a dairy farm with the system described herein, a user of the system can identify areas that are stressful for the animals in the dairy farm or areas where the stress level has increased compared to previous measurements. The user can investigate the reasons for relatively high stress levels and implement measures to address or at least attempt to mitigate any problems. Such measures will of course depend on the problems that are inducing the stress and can be, for example, training the personnel, reducing noise, increasing comfort, reducing the time spent in the stressful area, changing the temperature, reducing the number of animals in the stressful area, etc. Solving the problems will lead to a reduction in the stress level and, as a result, to a higher productivity / milk yield. This in turn leads to more sustainable milk production, since a higher milk yield per animal results in less environmental pollution per unit of milk.

[0011] The control unit of the system includes processing circuitry that is configured to perform various calculations to carry out the various tasks described herein, such as, for example, correlating response and animal location data, determining area-specific stress levels, triggering actions, etc. Such processing circuitry may include one or more instances of processing circuitry, i.e., a central processing unit (CPU), a processing unit, processing circuitry, a processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor, or other processing logic that can interpret and execute instructions. The control unit may include multiple processing circuits, such as any, some, or all of the processing circuits enumerated above.

[0012] The control unit may be able to determine or receive information that uniquely identifies at least one animal from at least one animal sensor arrangement and / or animal positioning component and determine / register animal location data and responses for the at least one animal. Such information may include identity references, such as local or globally unique numbers, names, and / or codes, etc. The control unit may be further configured to receive or determine timestamps included in the responses and animal location data, i.e., time references, such as highly accurate clock signals, which indicate to which specific moment the registered responses and the determined animal location data belong.

[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the control unit may include a memory. The optional memory may include a physical device for storing data or programs, i.e., sequences of instructions, on a temporary or permanent basis. According to some embodiments, the memory may include an integrated circuit that includes silicon-based transistors. The memory may include, for example, a memory card, flash memory, a USB memory, a hard disk, or another similar volatile or non-volatile storage unit for storing data, such as RAM, ROM (read only memory), PROM (programmable read only memory), EPROM (erasable PROM), EEPROM (electrically erasable PROM), etc. in different embodiments.

[0014] The at least one animal sensor arrangement may include a rumination sensor arrangement, and at least one corresponding response from at least one animal may include the rumination activity of the animal. Rumination is the process by which feed flows back from the rumen of a ruminant animal to the mouth, followed by re-chewing and resalivation, and then swallowing and returning the material to the rumen. Rumination has been found to be actively controlled by ruminant animals, which will reduce their rumination activity or stop ruminating if disturbed. In addition, increased stress levels, such as due to events causing pain, discomfort, hunger, fear, restlessness, illness, etc., are also associated with a decrease in rumination activity. Thus, the rumination activity of an animal indicates the level of physical and / or psychological stress and / or discomfort, although the negative correlation means that low rumination activity indicates a high stress level, while high rumination activity indicates a low / normal stress level.

[0015] The rumination sensor may be a tag attached to the animal, such as attached to the ear, neck or head of the animal. The tag may include an accelerometer for repeatedly sensing acceleration. The accelerometer may be a three-dimensional (3D) accelerometer, also known as a three-axis accelerometer, including three separate internal accelerometers mounted substantially orthogonally to each other, thus allowing analysis of the individual components of complex acceleration. Each accelerometer is an electromechanical device for measuring acceleration forces. Such forces may be static, similar to continuous gravity, or dynamic to sense the movement and / or vibration of the animal. The tag including the accelerometer may be attached to the animal such that the movement of the tag and thus the acceleration measured by the accelerometer is at least partially related to the movement of the animal's body parts (such as the jaw, neck, ear or head) during rumination. Rumination sensors with these described functions (such as tags attachable to the ear) are known to register rumination activity in the form of ear movement recorded via a three-dimensional accelerometer, as well as the rumination sensor described in patent EP 3 188 592 B1.

[0016] As an alternative or in addition, the rumination sensor may include a microphone attached to the animal, such that rumination activity can be registered by recording sounds coming from the animal. The microphone may be incorporated in a collar tightly attached to the animal's neck, such that sounds from, for example, the bolus reflux during rumination can be recorded.

[0017] A third example of a rumination sensor suitable for use in the system is a reins including a strain gauge or a pressure gauge for registering the jaw movement during rumination. A fourth example of a rumination sensor is a camera directed at the animal such that it can register the contractions at the location of the rumen trigone.

[0018] In its simplest form, the rumination activity registered by the rumination sensor can be a response including whether the animal is ruminating at a specific point in time at which the registration occurs. Another parameter capable of representing the rumination activity can be the number of rumen contractions and / or boluses of the ruminant per unit of time, or the total registered number of rumen contractions and / or boluses of the ruminant during a certain time period based on a plurality of responses that have been associated with the same zone. The amount of chewing or rumination movements can be a further or additional parameter representing the rumination activity. The rumination ratio for the animal can also represent the rumination activity. This can be registered by registering a plurality of responses associated with the same zone during a certain time period and dividing the responses indicating that rumination has occurred by the total number of registered responses (the total number being both the responses where rumination has occurred and the responses where rumination has not occurred). This ratio can be further used to estimate the time spent ruminating during the time period by multiplying the time period by the rumination ratio, which can alternatively or additionally represent the rumination activity. Of course, the time spent not ruminating during the time period can be estimated by subtracting the time spent ruminating from the time period.

[0019] When determining at least one zone-specific stress level, the control unit needs to consider the rumination activity that is negatively correlated with stress. The time spent not ruminating can be used as a value for the zone-specific stress level without any conversion. For the other parameters mentioned above, simple calculations can be used to convert them into the zone-specific stress level, such as dividing the "normal" rumination activity by the registered rumination activity, by subtracting the registered rumination ratio from 1, by dividing 1 by the registered rumination activity, etc. The values obtained from these calculations can represent at least one zone-specific stress level.

[0020] The at least one animal sensor arrangement can alternatively or additionally include a head movement sensor, and the at least one corresponding response can include the head movement of the at least one animal. The head movement of the animal indicates the level of physical and / or psychological stress and / or discomfort, where an upward head movement or keeping the head elevated is positively correlated with stress, meaning that if many such movements occur or the head is kept elevated for a long time period, it indicates a high stress level. The expression "upward head movement" will be interpreted as a head movement from a low position to a high position, for example, where the animal's head moves from below the animal's dorsal line to a position above the dorsal line. The expression "keeping the head elevated" will be interpreted as keeping the head at a certain height above, for example, relative to the animal's dorsal line, relative to the ground, or relative to the height at which the animal keeps its head when calm.

[0021] The head movement sensor can be a tag attached to the animal, preferably attached to the head or near the head, such as attached to the ear, neck or horn. Such tags can include motion sensors, such as 3D accelerometers, gyroscopes or other similar sensors, for detecting the movement and direction of movement made by the tag and thus the animal's head.

[0022] At least one camera directed towards the animal can also or alternatively be used as a head movement sensor. In different embodiments, the camera can be, for example, a stereo camera, an infrared camera, a video camera, radar, lidar, an ultrasonic device, a time-of-flight camera, a passive infrared (PIR) sensor or a similar device. The camera can capture images, such as, for example, an image sequence and / or a video sequence of the animal's head, and by image recognition / computer vision and object recognition, the upward head movement and / or the head being raised of the animal can be detected and registered.

[0023] Therefore, the at least one zone-specific stress level can be easily determined by the control unit, because the above-mentioned head movement is positively correlated with stress. The at least one zone-specific stress level can be, for example, the time spent keeping the head raised during a certain period of time or the number of upward head movements based on multiple responses associated with the same zone during a certain period of time.

[0024] The at least one animal sensor arrangement can additionally or alternatively include a heart rate sensor, and at least one corresponding response from at least one animal can include the heart rate of the at least one animal. The heart rate of an animal is positively correlated with stress, where an increased or relatively high heart rate indicates an increased or relatively high stress level. The heart rate sensor can be a band with a heart rate meter. Such a band can be attached to the animal, preferably near an artery, such as around the leg, abdomen, neck or any other suitable body part. It is also feasible to have a heart rate meter included in a tag attached to the animal, such as attached to the animal's ear. When using a heart rate sensor, the at least one zone-specific stress level can be, for example, the heart rate per minute based on multiple responses associated with the same zone.

[0025] The present invention is not limited to the sensors specifically mentioned above. Any sensor capable of registering a response from an animal indicating the level of physical and / or mental stress and / or discomfort can be used in the system described herein. Other examples of sensors are pedometers, blood pressure sensors, thermometers for determining the body temperature of an animal, respiration / gasp sensors, ear movement sensors for registering ear movement (e.g., ear tags including motion sensors), sensors for registering cow aggregation (e.g., positioning systems or cameras), etc.

[0026] The responses registered by the above sensors may need to be pre - processed and / or additionally processed to facilitate the determination of zone - specific stress levels, such as, for example, image recognition, computer vision, object recognition, classification, or filtering. Such pre - processing or additional processing can be performed in the control unit of the above system, in a separate unit including a processing component, or in an additional unit including the processing component included in at least one animal sensor arrangement structure.

[0027] The animal positioning component may include a real - time location system (RTLS) configured to determine an identity reference of at least one animal and the corresponding position of the at least one animal at a particular moment, for example, as coordinates in a coordinate system. The RTLS may include tags attached to the animals and a set of base stations, where each base station in the set is configured to receive wireless signals transmitted from the tags. The wireless signals may include an identifier that uniquely identifies the tag and thus the animal to which it is attached, i.e., an identity reference such as a local or globally unique number, name, and / or code. The wireless signals may be transmitted between the tag and the base station via any convenient wireless communication technology such as ultra - wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (BT), wireless universal serial bus (wireless USB), radio - frequency identification (RFID), Wi - Fi, etc.

[0028] Each base station may be configured to forward a corresponding tag message describing the received wireless signal to the above - mentioned control unit, a separate unit including a processing component, or an additional unit including the processing component included in the animal positioning component. The control unit, the separate unit including the processing component, or the processing component included in the animal positioning component may then be configured to receive the tag message, for example, via a transceiver, and determine the corresponding position of the animal tag, and thus the position of the animal at a particular moment, for example, as coordinates in a coordinate system, based on the tag messages received from at least three base stations. The position can be determined, for example, by triangulation or trilateration in at least two directions (e.g., two perpendicular directions).

[0029] In addition, a dairy farm may be associated with representations of multiple zones stored in, for example, a database or any other data storage device. It can be determined in which of the multiple zones the at least one animal is located at a particular moment by comparing the representations of the multiple zones with the corresponding position of the at least one animal at a particular moment determined, for example, by the RTLS.

[0030] The representation of multiple zones can be, for example, a CAD model, a digital twin of a dairy farm, or any structured data in a local or global coordinate system. The system can include a user interface that includes a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to display the layout of the dairy farm. The user interface can also be configured to obtain user-generated commands, for example, with the support of the GUI, via zone definition instructions related to the layout of the dairy farm, the zone definition instructions specifying the desired zoning of the dairy farm and the corresponding zone labels. Thus, the user can define different zones of the dairy farm in a simple and intuitive way.

[0031] The representation of multiple zones can include a set or range of coordinates, where each set or range of coordinates represents a zone and is associated with a unique zone label of that zone. Each set or range of coordinates can be, for example, the coordinates along the perimeter representing the respective perimeter of each of the multiple zones or the coordinate interval representing the area covered by the zone in the coordinate system. The position of at least one animal determined by the RTLS can be represented as coordinates in the same coordinate system as the coordinate system used to represent the multiple zones. The animal position data can be easily determined by the animal positioning component by comparing the set of coordinates representing the zone with the coordinates representing the position of at least one animal at a specific moment. This comparison can be performed in the control unit (in the case where the control unit is considered part of the animal positioning component), a separate unit including a processing component, or an additional unit including the processing component included in the animal positioning component.

[0032] Another option is that the zones of the dairy farm are associated with a regular pattern of positions, such as, for example, coordinates in a coordinate system, where each position in the regular pattern is explicitly associated with a specific zone and the unique zone label of that zone. The control unit (in the case where the control unit is considered part of the animal positioning component), a separate unit including a processing component, or an additional unit including the processing component included in the animal positioning component can be configured to determine the nearest position in the regular pattern of positions, which is the position in the regular pattern of positions located at the shortest Euclidean distance from the position of at least one animal determined by the RTLS. The animal position data is thus determined by the animal positioning component because the determined nearest position in the regular pattern of positions is explicitly associated with a specific zone. The regular pattern of positions can include a pattern of equally spaced points on a straight line covering the area of the dairy farm. In other words, the regular pattern of positions can be represented by a set of points organized in such a way that each point is located at the corresponding intersection of a Cartesian grid. This is highly beneficial for the process of finding a position in the regular pattern of positions that is closest to the position of at least one animal determined by the RTLS.

[0033] Through the above options, the correct zone label is assigned to the determined animal position data, and the control unit then associates the determined animal position data with the corresponding responses from at least one animal.

[0034] The animal positioning component may alternatively or additionally include an animal identification component associated with at least one area in which the animal identification component is arranged. Such an arrangement can be used on a dairy farm, where at least one of the multiple areas of the dairy farm is physically separated from the other areas and includes a passage arrangement structure, where the passage arrangement structure includes an entrance passage and an exit passage for entering and leaving the at least one area. The at least one area is physically separated from the other areas to prevent animals from entering or leaving the area without passing through a door arrangement structure. The animal identification component can include any device capable of identifying an animal, such as a reader configured to read an ID tag attached to the animal, where the ID tag has an identity reference that uniquely identifies the animal and / or a camera with a processing component that uses image recognition technology to identify the animal by, for example, recognizing different body parts or patterns of the animal. The animal identification component can be configured to identify at least one animal when entering through the entrance passage and when leaving through the exit passage.

[0035] By registering the times when the animal enters and leaves the area, the animal positioning component can be configured to determine that the animal is located in the area between the times. This determination can be performed in a control unit (if the control unit is considered part of the animal positioning component), a separate unit including a processing component, or an additional unit including the processing component included in the animal positioning component. Thus, a set of times when the animal is located in the area can be determined, and the correct area label can be assigned to the animal position data for the animal for the set of times.

[0036] In addition, the control unit of the system can be configured to determine that a stress level criterion is met if the area-specific stress level exceeds a reference threshold. The control unit can alternatively be configured to determine that a stress level criterion is met if the area-specific stress level repeatedly exceeds a pre-determined number of times and / or if the area-specific stress level exceeds the reference threshold during a pre-determined time period.

[0037] In some cases, it may not be desirable to trigger an action if the area-specific stress level exceeds the reference threshold only once. A single increase in the stress level may be due to a non-recurring event, such as the honking of a car horn from a dairy farm vehicle or a worker sneezing. However, if the threshold is repeatedly exceeded or exceeded for a pre-determined time period, there is a higher probability of some permanent, more serious, or at least recurring problem in the area of interest, and thus it may be more appropriate to trigger an action.

[0038] The threshold can in turn be different between multiple zones of the dairy farm. For example, a higher threshold can be used for a profitability zone, i.e., a zone where milk is harvested (i.e., income) or a zone related to such milk harvest, such as a milking zone, a pre-milking zone, and zones within the milking zone (representing, for example, milking platforms).

[0039] The reference threshold can be a pre-determined value, for example, a pre-determined value corresponding to a stress level that should not be exceeded. Optionally or additionally, the threshold can be based on at least one historical zone-specific stress level, i.e., a previously determined zone-specific stress level. The threshold can be determined by a set of historical zone-specific stress levels, where, for example, the average of these historical zone-specific stress levels is calculated and optionally a margin is added to the average. It may be difficult for a person installing the system to know which value corresponds to the normal stress level in a zone, as stress levels can inherently vary between different zones and between different dairy farms. By making the reference threshold based on at least one historical zone-specific stress level, the system can monitor whether the determined zone-specific stress level deviates from the previously determined zone-specific stress level. In this way, the user of the system can monitor whether any changes at the dairy farm (such as installing new equipment or hiring new personnel in any of the zones) increase the stress level among the animals. Another option is that the control unit is configured to determine that a stress level criterion is met if the zone-specific stress level exceeds the previously determined zone-specific stress level by a pre-determined amount or exceeds the average of the cumulative previously determined stress levels by a pre-determined amount. This is also beneficial for monitoring deviant stress levels at the dairy farm.

[0040] The control unit can be configured to determine a zone-specific stress level for a group of animals comprising multiple animals. In such embodiments of the present invention, the control unit is configured to associate a corresponding response with the corresponding animal location data for each of the multiple animals in the group of animals. The control unit can be further configured to determine a combined response representative of the group of animals by combining the corresponding responses from each of the multiple animals in the group of animals, and to determine the zone-specific stress level for the group of animals based on the combined response, the corresponding response having been associated with the zone for which the zone-specific stress level is determined. The corresponding responses can be combined by determining an average stress level value of the cumulative responses registered from the group of animals (which have been associated with the zone for which the zone-specific stress level is determined) over a certain time period. The time period can be, for example, one second, one minute, one hour, one week, one month, etc.

[0041] The zone-specific stress levels determined for a group of animals can be beneficial because some animals may exhibit high stress levels due to, for example, a disease that is not related to the stress induced by external stressors in the zone. The zone-specific stress levels based on the responses from such diseased animals can be misleading and may trigger actions unnecessarily. However, when monitoring the stress induced by external stressors in the zone, the zone-specific stress levels for a group of animals can be more useful because the deviant responses from, for example, diseased cows in the group will have a smaller impact on such determined zone-specific stress levels.

[0042] The multiple animals providing the responses based on which the zone-specific stress levels are determined do not necessarily need to be located in the same zone simultaneously. Thus, the responses can be registered over a period of time, and the control unit can be configured to determine a combined response based on the responses that have been associated with the zone of interest and that have been registered from the group of animals during the period of time. This means that the animals in the group can enter and leave the zone independently of the other animals in the group, and only the responses associated with the zone are used to determine the combined response.

[0043] The control unit can additionally or alternatively be configured to determine a combined response representative of the group of animals by combining the respective responses from each of the multiple animals in a group of animals, where all the respective responses are timestamped with a set of moments during which all of the animals in the group of animals are located in the zone for which the zone-specific stress level is being determined. In other words, in such embodiments, a combined response and subsequently a zone-specific stress level are determined for a group of animals that are located in the same zone over a period of time (such as one second, one minute, or one hour, etc.). Determining the zone-specific stress levels for a group of animals all located in the same zone simultaneously can be beneficial because the moments when the stress levels increase in the group of animals are more easily distinguishable. Subsequently, this increases the user's chance of identifying potential external stressors in the zone.

[0044] Furthermore, if a stress level criterion is met, the action triggered by the control unit can include triggering an alarm. This will notify the user that there may be a problem, such as an external stressor, in the zone for which the stress level criterion has been met.

[0045] Alternatively or in addition, the system may include a database that includes representations of multiple zones of the dairy farm. In such a case, the action may include: if a stress level criterion is met, the control unit is configured to update the database by saving the moment when the stress level criterion is met, and associate the saved moment with the zone in the representations of the multiple zones for which the stress level criterion is met. By saving in the database the moments when the zone-specific stress levels meet the stress level criterion, the farmer obtains a comprehensive overview of the history of high stress levels at his / her dairy farm. The system may include a GUI (Graphical User Interface) through which the farmer can access the database and save information therein.

[0046] Optionally or additionally, for a system that includes a database that includes representations of the multiple zones of the dairy farm, the action may include: if a stress level criterion is met, the control unit is configured to update the database by marking the zone for which the stress level criterion has been met as a stress-inducing zone in the representations of the multiple zones. The control unit may be configured to indicate on the GUI the zones that have been marked as stress-inducing zones. This solution can be used as an alternative to issuing an alarm every time the stress level criterion is met. At today's modern dairy farms, various alarms are issued for several different systems and machines, which may be overwhelming for the farmer. By marking in the representations of the multiple zones the zones for which the stress level criterion has been met as stress-inducing zones, the farmer can check the database via the GUI at any time that is convenient for him / her to see if there are stress problems in any zone.

[0047] According to another aspect of the present invention, this object is achieved by a method for monitoring at least one animal in a dairy farm that includes multiple zones, the method including:

[0048] - Determining animal position data that includes in which of the multiple zones the at least one animal is located at a specific moment;

[0049] - Registering, via at least one animal sensor arrangement, at least one corresponding response from the at least one animal, the at least one corresponding response indicating the level of physical and / or psychological stress and / or discomfort of the at least one animal at a specific moment;

[0050] - Associating the corresponding response from the at least one animal with the corresponding animal position data for the same at least one animal to determine in which zone the at least one animal was located at the specific moment when the corresponding response was registered;

[0051] - Determining a zone-specific stress level for the zone in which the at least one animal has been located based on at least one corresponding response associated with the zone;

[0052] - Compare the zone-specific stress level with a stress level criterion; and

[0053] - If the zone-specific stress level meets the stress level criterion, trigger an action.

[0054] The advantages of the method are as described initially for the system. The corresponding responses and animal position data are received and associated, i.e., the zone tags included in the animal position data are assigned to the corresponding responses relative to the moment, i.e., the specific moment included in the corresponding responses and animal position data is the same or substantially the same for the corresponding responses and animal position data, as described for the system. All other terms used above shall be interpreted as described for the system.

[0055] The animal position data can be determined by any solution in the solutions described for the system. The at least one animal sensor arrangement and the at least one corresponding response can be any alternative in the alternatives mentioned for the system.

[0056] Comparing the zone-specific stress level with the stress level criterion can include comparing the zone-specific stress level with a threshold. The threshold can be any alternative in the alternatives described for the system. Additionally, determining whether the stress level criterion is met can be done according to any alternative in the alternatives described for the system.

[0057] The method can include determining the zone-specific stress level for a group of animals including multiple animals by the following process:

[0058] - Associate the corresponding responses with the corresponding animal position data for each of the multiple animals in the group of animals;

[0059] - Determine a combined response representative of the group of animals by combining all the corresponding responses from each of the multiple animals in the group of animals; and

[0060] - Determine the zone-specific stress level for the group of animals based on the combined response.

[0061] The advantages of these aspects of the method are as described for the corresponding features described for the system. The combined response can be determined according to any alternative in the alternatives described for the system.

[0062] The action in the method can include triggering an alarm. The action can alternatively or in addition include updating a database including representations of multiple zones of a dairy farm by the following process:

[0063] - Save the moments that meet the stress level criteria and associate the saved moments with the representations in the database of the zones for which the stress level criteria have been met; and / or

[0064] - Mark the representations in the database of the zones for which the stress level criteria have been met as stress-induced zones.

[0065] The advantages of these aspects of the method are as for the corresponding features initially described for the system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] The present invention will now be explained in more detail by way of preferred embodiments disclosed as examples and with reference to the drawings.

[0067] Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a dairy farm / a part of a dairy farm and its zoning.

[0068] Figure 2 shows a schematic view of another example of a part of a dairy farm and its zoning.

[0069] Figure 3 shows a diagram of various methods for determining zone-specific stress levels.

[0070] Figure 4 shows an embodiment of an animal sensor arrangement structure.

[0071] Figure 5 shows an embodiment of an animal positioning component.

[0072] Figure 6 shows a schematic view of the representation of the zones of a dairy farm in a coordinate system.

[0073] Figure 7 shows a graph displaying zone-specific stress levels over time and an embodiment of a GUI.

[0074] Figure 8 A method for monitoring at least one animal in a dairy farm including a plurality of zones is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] Figure 1ASchematically shows a dairy farm 1 or a part of the dairy farm 1, on which a system or method according to the present invention for monitoring at least one animal 100 in a dairy farm 1 including multiple zones can be used. The illustrated dairy farm 1 includes different zones A1 - A7 (both indoor and outdoor zones), and the animals 100 housed at the dairy farm 1 are located in these zones. In this case, the animals 100 are cows, but it is conceivable that the animals 100 can be, for example, water buffalo, sheep, goats, etc. The zone at the top and left of the drawing is the pre - milking zone A1, in which the cows are kept waiting to be milked. When it is time to milk, the cows continue into the milking zone A2. In the illustrated example, the milking zone A2 includes a milking platform 11 with a milking point 10, through which milk is extracted from the teats of the cows in a manner known in the art. These milking platforms 11 can be referred to as sub - zones of the milking zone A2.

[0076] After being milked, the cows continue via a walking path A3 to a resting zone A4, which has several sub - zones in the form of resting compartments 12. The cows can leave the resting zone A4 to go grazing in the grazing zone A6 or reach the feeding zone A5 to eat. Finally, the cows can walk through a second walking path A7 from the feeding zone A5 to reach the waiting zone A1 again.

[0077] Figure 1B Shows Figure 1A The zoning of the illustrated dairy farm 1. The different zones of the dairy farm 1 are each represented by a zone Z with a corresponding unique zone label Z1 - Z7. The sub - zones of the milking zone A2 and the resting zone A4, namely the milking platforms 11 and the resting compartments 12, are represented by zones Z 2.1 -Z 2.4 and Z 4.1 -Z 4.7 respectively, which are zones within zone Z2 and zone Z4. It should be noted that the subscripts of the zone and the zone label are not important for the present invention, and they are just a way to name different zones.

[0078] Figure 2A Schematically shows a part of another type of dairy farm 1, on which a system or method according to the present invention for monitoring at least one animal 100 in a dairy farm 1 including multiple zones can be used. A rotating platform 13 is installed on Figure 2Ain the milking area A2 on the dairy farm 1 shown. Milking on a rotating platform 13 is known in the art and will not be described in detail herein. Briefly, the animal 100 (in this case a cow) walks from the pre-milking area A1 onto the rotating platform 13. Then, each cow stands in a pen 14 on the rotating platform, where each pen 14 includes a milking point 10 through which milk is extracted from the cow. The rotating platform rotates while the cow is being milked, and when it has rotated one full circle, the cow walks off the rotating platform into the walking path A3 and then into area A4 and then into subsequent other areas until it reaches the walking path A α and back to the waiting area A1 again.

[0079] Figure 2A is shown Figure 2A the partitioning of the dairy farm 1 shown. The different areas of the dairy farm 1 are each represented by zones Z having corresponding unique zone labels Z1 - Z α are represented by the zones Z. The sub-areas of the milking area A2 (i.e., the pens 14 on the rotating platform) are represented by zones Z 2.1 -Z 2.20 which are zones within the zone Z2.

[0080] It should be noted that the present invention is of course not limited to use at dairy farms of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The system according to the present invention can be used at any dairy farm 1, regardless of size, layout, installed milking equipment, etc.

[0081] Turning to FIG. 3, which shows various methods for determining a zone-specific stress level S in a system and method for monitoring at least one animal 100 in a dairy farm 1 comprising a plurality of zones z such zone-specific stress levels S z can be determined, for example, for a zone Z, such as those depicted in Figure 1B and Figure 2B . In Figure 3A , an animal 100, which is a cow, walking between two zones Z φ and Z µ is shown. The response R from the cow, which indicates the level of physical and / or psychological stress and / or discomfort of the cow at a particular moment, is registered by at least one animal sensor arrangement 300 (described in more detail below) at a sampling frequency. Thus, the responses R are timestamped with the particular moment at which they are registered. The sampling frequency can be, for example, one response R per second, every two seconds, every minute, etc. For illustrative purposes, the sampling frequency of the responses R is set to one response R every five seconds in the embodiment shown in Figure 3A . The responses R are then received by the control unit 20.

[0082] In addition, the animal position data P for the cows is determined by the animal positioning component 200, which is described in more detail below, at a specific frequency. The animal position data P includes in which section Z of the dairy farm 1 the cows are located at a specific moment. In this simplified example, it is section Z φ or Z µ of which one, which means that the animal position data P is timestamped with the specific moment when the cows are located in the corresponding section Z. The frequency of determining the animal position data P is preferably the same as the sampling frequency for the response R, but another frequency is also possible. For illustrative purposes, the frequency in the illustrated example is set to determine the animal position data P once every five seconds.

[0083] In this example, the animal positioning component 200 determines the animal position data P via the control unit 20 of the system, which means that the control unit 20 or a part thereof is considered to be part of the animal positioning component 200. Another possible alternative is that the animal position data P is determined by an additional unit 21 including a processing component, as Figure 3A shown by the dashed line, and the processing component is included in the animal positioning component 200. In this case, the control unit 20 will subsequently receive the animal position data P.

[0084] It should be noted here that the time point at which the animal position data P is determined does not necessarily have to be the same moment when the animal position data P is timestamped with respect to which section Z the cows are located, although it can be the same moment. Therefore, in this case, the animal positioning component 200 can be configured to determine via the control unit 20 at a later stage at which specific moments the cows are located in a specific section Z after the determined specific moment.

[0085] The control unit 20 is configured to associate each response R from a cow with the corresponding animal position data P for the cow to determine in which zone Z the cow is located at each moment when each response R is registered. The association of the response R with the animal position data P is made with respect to a specific moment at which the response R and the animal position data P are respectively timestamped. This association can be regarded as pairing the response R with the animal position data P, where the response and the animal position data are timestamped with the same or substantially the same moment. In this context, substantially the same moment means that the response R and the animal position data P are associated, and the response and the animal position data are timestamped with moments falling within the same short time interval, such as one second, several seconds, one minute, or several minutes. Therefore, the configuration of the control unit 20 regarding which response R and animal position data P are associated can depend on the frequency at which the response R is registered and the frequency at which the animal position data P is determined. Another way of describing the association of the response R from a cow with the corresponding animal position data P is that the zone label included in the corresponding animal position data P is assigned to the response R. As mentioned herein, the animal position data P includes in which zone Z the cow is located at a specific moment, which means that the animal position data P will include the unique zone label of the zone Z.

[0086] In Figure 3A the illustrated example, four responses R from a cow and four animal position data P for the cow are respectively registered and determined. As mentioned, the frequency used in this example is one response R and animal position data P every five seconds, which means Figure 3A the sequence shown lasted for twenty seconds. As shown, the response R from the cow R t=1 was registered at moment t = 1, in this case during the first five seconds of the illustrated sequence. In addition, the determined animal position data P t=1 for the cow is also timestamped with moment t = 1. It should be noted here that the moment referred to herein can be a short time interval. In the illustrated example, moment t = 1 can cover all responses R and animal position data P, and the animal position data includes timestamps within the time interval ranging from 0 seconds to 5 seconds of the illustrated sequence.

[0087] The control unit 20 associates the response R t=1 with the animal position data P t=1 because they are timestamped with the same moment t = 1. The animal position data P t=1 includes the information that the cow is located in zone Z φ at moment t = 1. Therefore, when the cow is located in zone Z φ , the control unit 20 can determine that the response R t=1 was registered. Based on this information and on the response R t=1The control unit 20 determines at time t=1 for zone Z an indication of the level of physical and / or psychological stress and / or discomfort of the cows included in φ The region-specific stress level S zφ,t=1 .exist Figure 3A In the example shown, for the subsequent response R t=2 -R t=4 and animal location data P t=2 -P t=4 , the zone-specific stress level S was determined continuously in the same way z . Cows leave Zone Z φ And enters zone Z between time t=2 and t=3 µ , resulting in the first two zone-specific stress levels S zφ,t=1 and S zφ,t=2 Belongs to Zone Z φ , and the next two S zµ,t=1 and S zµ,t=2 Belongs to Zone Z µ In other embodiments, the zone-specific stress level is determined based on multiple responses weighted together. Figure 3A The example shown is for zone Z φ The region-specific stress level S z The responses R can be weighted together, for example t=1 and R t=2 Both.

[0088] Figure 3B 1 shows a method for determining a zone-specific stress level S for a zone Z based on a combined response representing a group of animals including a plurality of animals 100. z In the illustrated example, the group of animals includes two cows C1 and C2. In this embodiment, the control unit 20 is further configured to:

[0089] - accumulate the responses R from cows C1 and C2 that have been associated with zone Z during a certain period of time;

[0090] - determining the combined response for the two cows C1 and C2 by calculating the average stress level value based on the accumulated responses R; and

[0091] - Determination of the zone-specific stress level S based on the combined response, ie in this case based on the calculated mean stress level value z .

[0092] The time period during which the response R, on which the combined response is based, has been registered is from t=1 to t=2 in the illustrated example.

[0093] exist Figure 3BIn it, cow C1 is outside zone Z at time t = 1 and inside zone Z at time t = 2. The opposite situation applies to the other cow C2. The control unit 20 associates the corresponding response R with the corresponding animal position data P for each of the two cows C1 and C2 according to the principle described above regarding Figure 3A Then, when the cows are located in zone Z, the control unit 20 determines the response R registered from cow C1 at time t = 2 t=2,C1 and the response R registered from cow C2 at time t = 1 t=1,C2 are registered, and the control unit 20 then determines the combined response for the group of the two cows C1 and C2 by calculating an average stress level value based on these responses R t=2,C1 and R t=1,C2 The control unit 20 is further configured to determine the zone-specific stress level S for zone Z based on the combined response z .

[0094] Figure 3C FIG. shows another embodiment, in which the control unit 20 is configured to determine a combined response representative of a group of animals. In this embodiment, the control unit 20 is configured to determine a combined response for a group of animals, in this case a group of cows C1 to Cn, which are all located in the same zone Z simultaneously during a certain time period.

[0095] Turning to FIG. 4, it shows a different animal sensor arrangement structure 300 for registering the corresponding response R from the animal 100, which corresponding response indicates the level of physical and / or psychological stress and / or discomfort of the animal 100 at a specific moment, such as the response R from the cows mentioned with respect to FIG. 3. According to some embodiments, the animal sensor arrangement structure 300 includes a tag 220 attached to the animal 100, where the tag 220 includes a rumination sensor 310, a motion sensor 320, and / or a heart rate sensor 330 as described herein. The response R registered by such sensors is rumination activity, head movement, and / or heart rate. Examples of such embodiments are shown in Figure 4A where tags 220 attached to cows in the ears and around the neck are depicted. Figure 4B Other embodiments of the animal sensor arrangement structure 300 are shown in, where a camera 340 for recording head movement and / or registering rumination activity as the rumination sensor 310 is shown. To avoid repetition, the mode of registering the response R indicating the level of physical and / or psychological stress and / or discomfort of the animal 100 by the sensors mentioned above will not be described in detail here, as it has been described above.

[0096] Since stress is negatively correlated with rumination activity, the time spent not ruminating during a certain period can be used as a suitable parameter for the zonal-specific stress level S in an embodiment where the rumination sensor 310 is used to record the corresponding response R from the animal 100. z If such an embodiment is used for Figure 3B and Figure 3C the scenarios depicted in, i.e., for a group of animals, the control unit 20 will be configured to determine the average stress level value by dividing the sum of the time spent not ruminating by all the animals 100 in the group by the number of animals 100 in the group, thereby determining the combined response. In this case, the zonal-specific stress level S z can simply be equal to the combined response. In other embodiments using the rumination sensor 310, the corresponding response R can be whether the animal 100 is ruminating, i.e., a YES / NO type response. In this case, the combined response can be the total number of animals 100 in the group divided by the number of animals 100 that are ruminating. In this case, the zonal-specific stress level S z can also be equal to the combined response, since a large number of animals 100 ruminating indicates a low stress level.

[0097] In FIG. 5, different embodiments of the animal positioning component 200 are shown. In Figure 5A is shown a real-time location system, abbreviated as RTLS, configured to determine the identity reference of the animal 100 and the corresponding position A of the animal 100 at a specific moment rep . Exemplary RTLSs known in the art include tags 220 attached to the animal 100 (in this case a dairy cow), such as, for example, by a collar around the neck of the dairy cow as shown in Figure 5A or attached to the ear as shown in Figure 5B . The tag 220 emits a wireless signal that includes information uniquely identifying the dairy cow, i.e., an identity reference such as a local or globally unique number, name, and / or code of the dairy cow. It should be noted here that in some embodiments, the tag 220 included in the RTLS system can be the same tag as the tag included in the animal sensor arrangement structure 300. Thus, the same tag 220 can include sensors to register the response R from the animal 100 and emit a wireless signal to determine the corresponding position A of the animal 100 rep .

[0098] In addition, the RTLS includes at least three base stations 230a, 230b, 230c configured to detect the signals emitted by the tag 220. Each base station 230a, 230b, 230c is configured to forward a corresponding tag message describing the received wireless signal to the control unit 20 of the system.

[0099] The control unit 20 is then configured to receive tag messages via a transceiver 260 connected to or included in the control unit 20. Based on the tag messages received from at least three base stations 230a, 230b, 230c, the control unit 20 is configured to determine the corresponding position of the tag 220 represented, for example, by coordinates in a coordinate system, and thus determine the position A of the animal 100 at a specific moment. rep The position A can be determined, for example, by triangulation or trilateration in at least two directions (e.g., two perpendicular directions). rep .

[0100] As described above, other alternative processing components are possible in addition to the control unit 20 of the system, such as an additional unit 21 including the processing components included in the animal positioning component 200. Thus, in some embodiments, the control unit 20 is replaced by the additional unit 21 with respect to the tasks performed regarding the RTLS.

[0101] In FIG. 6, a method for determining animal position data P is shown according to some embodiments. In the illustrated method, the animal positioning component 200 utilizes a representation Z of a plurality of areas of the dairy farm 1 stored in a database or another type of data storage device. rep , to determine the animal position data P by comparing it with the position A of the animal 100 at a specific moment determined by the RTLS. rep

[0102] As Figure 6A shown, the position A of the animal 100 at a specific moment is plotted in the coordinate system 400. rep In Figure 6B , a representation Z of a plurality of areas of the dairy farm 1 is plotted in the same coordinate system 400. rep As Figure 6B visible in rep , each area Z covers a region in the coordinate system 400, which means that each area Z covers a set or range of coordinates X and Y in the coordinate system 400. In the illustrated example, the representation Z of the area Z with the area label Z3 rep covers the set of coordinates X = 10.3 - 15.5, Y = 3.8 - 6.8, and the position A of the animal 100 at a specific moment rep has the coordinates X = 13.5, Y = 4.3. Thus, the animal positioning component 200 can determine, for example, via the control unit 20 or the additional unit 21, that the animal 100 for which the position A rep has been determined is located in the area Z with the area label Z3 at the moment of interest, because the coordinates of its position A rep are within the set of coordinates covered by the representation Z of the area Z3. The result of this comparison is shown in Figure 6C .

[0103] As described herein, in other embodiments not shown in the drawings, the regions of the dairy farm 1 are associated with a regular pattern of locations (such as coordinates in a coordinate system, for example), where each location in the regular pattern is explicitly associated with a specific zone Z and a unique zone label for that zone Z. In such embodiments, the animal positioning component 200 determines, for example via the control unit 20 or an additional unit 21, which location in the regular pattern of locations is closest to the location A of the animal 100 at a particular moment rep . The animal positioning component 200 then determines, for example via the control unit 20 or an additional unit 21, the zone Z in which the animal 100 for which the location A has been determined rep is located, the zone Z being explicitly associated with the location in the regular pattern of locations that has been determined to be closest to the location A of the animal 100 at the moment of interest rep .

[0104] In Figure 5C another embodiment of the animal positioning component 200 is depicted. In this embodiment, the animal identification component 240 is arranged at the entrance and exit channels of the zone Z. The animal identification component 240 in the illustrated embodiment includes an ID reader configured to read an ID tag attached to the animal 100, the ID tag identifying the animal when the animal 100 enters through the entrance channel and when it leaves through the exit channel. When the animal 100 has been identified as entering and leaving the zone Z, the animal positioning component 200 determines, for example via the control unit 20 or an additional unit 21, the animal position data P of the animal 100 by determining that the animal 100 was located in the zone Z during the time period between those identification times

[0105] Now turning to FIG. 7, where Figure 7A a graph is shown in which the zone-specific stress level S is measured along the vertical axis z and time t is measured along the horizontal axis. In this example, the zone-specific stress S plotted in the graph is determined for a group of animals including a plurality of animals 100 z levels, i.e., based on the combined response for the group of animals as described above. Additionally, a reference threshold S tr is plotted as a horizontal line in the graph. As described herein, this reference threshold S tr can be a pre-determined value and / or based on previously determined zone-specific stress levels

[0106] As described herein, the control unit 20 of the system is configured to trigger an action if the zone-specific stress level S of the zone Z z meets the stress level criterion S c then trigger an action Figure 7AShows the zone - specific stress level S that meets the stress level criteria S for three different embodiments c of the zone - specific stress level S z . In one of the embodiments, as shown by the left - most vertical dashed line in the graph, the control unit 20 is configured to determine that the stress level criteria S z is met if the zone - specific stress level S tr exceeds a reference threshold S c . In another of the illustrated embodiments, the control unit 20 is configured to determine that the stress level criteria S c z is met if the zone - specific stress level S c exceeds the reference threshold S tr during a pre - determined time period T c , as depicted by the second - left - most vertical dashed line in the graph. Finally, the right - most vertical dashed line in the graph corresponds to the third embodiment among the said embodiments, where the control unit 20 is configured to determine that the stress level criteria S z is met if the zone - specific stress level S tr repeatedly exceeds the reference threshold S c a pre - determined number of times, which is three in the example shown.

[0107] Figure 7B Shows the possible results when the zone - specific stress level S z meets the stress level criteria S c according to some embodiments. In the said embodiments, the system includes a database that includes representations Z rep of multiple zones of dairy farm 1, and the actions, when triggered, include the control unit 20 updating the database by marking the representation Z c of the zone Z for which the stress level criteria S rep has been met as a stress - induced zone. The control unit 20 in these embodiments is further configured to indicate on a graphical user interface (GUI) 500 the representation Z rep of the zone Z that has been marked as a stress - induced zone. Figure 7B Such a GUI 500 is depicted in z , where the example shown is on a smart phone. On the illustrated GUI 500, a zone Z for which the zone - specific stress level S c has met the stress level criteria S

[0108] Finally, Figure 8A method 600 for monitoring at least one animal 100 in a dairy farm 1 including a plurality of zones according to the present invention is shown. The method includes:

[0109] - Determining 610 animal position data P, which includes in which zone Z among the plurality of zones the at least one animal 100 is located at a specific moment;

[0110] - Registering 620 at least one corresponding response R from the at least one animal 100 via at least one animal sensor arrangement 300, the at least one corresponding response indicating the level of physical and / or psychological stress and / or discomfort of the at least one animal 100 at a specific moment;

[0111] - Associating 630 at least one corresponding response R from the at least one animal 100 with corresponding animal position data P for the same at least one animal 100 to determine in which zone Z the at least one animal 100 is located at the specific moment when the corresponding response R is registered;

[0112] - The zone-specific stress level S z is compared 650 with a stress level criterion S c ; and

[0113] - If the zone-specific stress level S z meets the stress level criterion S c , then an action 660 is triggered.

[0114] According to some embodiments, the comparison 650 of the zone-specific stress level S z with the stress level criterion S c includes comparing the zone-specific stress level S z with a threshold S tr .

[0115] According to some embodiments, for a group of animals including a plurality of animals 100, the zone-specific stress level S z is determined by the following process:

[0116] - Associating 630 the corresponding response R with corresponding animal position data P for each of the plurality of animals 100 in the group of animals;

[0117] - Determining 641 a combined response representing the group of animals 100 by combining all the corresponding responses R from each of the plurality of animals 100 in the group of animals;

[0118] - Determining 640 the zone-specific stress level S z for the group of animals based on the combined response.

[0119] According to some embodiments, the action includes triggering an alarm 661.

[0120] According to some embodiments, the action includes updating a representation Z of a plurality of zones including the dairy farm 1 by the following process: rep Database:

[0121] - Save 662 meets stress level standard S c The saved moment is compared with the moment that has met the stress level standard S c The representation of zone Z in the database is Z rep associated with; and / or

[0122] - will be targeted at those who have met the stress level standard S c The representation of zone Z in the database is Z rep Mark 663 is the stress-inducible region.

[0123] The preferred forms of the present invention described above are for illustration only and should not be used to interpret the scope of the present invention in a limiting sense. Those skilled in the art may easily modify the exemplary embodiments described above without departing from the spirit of the present invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring at least one animal (100) in a dairy farm (1) comprising a plurality of zones, the system comprising: An animal positioning component (200) configured to determine animal position data (P), the animal position data (P) including in which zone (Z) of the plurality of zones the at least one animal (100) is located at a specific moment; At least one animal sensor arrangement structure (300) for registering at least one corresponding response (R) from the at least one animal (100), the at least one corresponding response indicating the level of physical and / or psychological stress and / or discomfort of the at least one animal (100) at a specific moment; A control unit (20) configured to: Associate at least one corresponding response (R) from the at least one animal (100) with corresponding animal position data (P) for the same at least one animal (100) to determine in which zone (Z) the at least one animal (100) is located at the specific moment when the at least one corresponding response (R) is registered; Determining a zone-specific stress level (S) for a zone (Z) in which at least one animal (100) has been located, based on at least one respective response (R) already associated with the zone (Z) z ); and If the region-specific stress level (S z ), meets the stress level criteria (S c ), then an action is triggered.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one animal sensor arrangement structure (300) includes a rumination sensor (310), and the at least one corresponding response (R) from the at least one animal (100) includes the rumination activity of the at least one animal (100).

3. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one animal sensor arrangement structure (300) includes a head movement sensor, preferably a motion sensor (320) and / or a camera (340) attached to the at least one animal (100), and the at least one corresponding response (R) includes the head movement of the at least one animal (100).

4. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one animal sensor arrangement structure (300) includes a heart rate sensor (330), and the at least one corresponding response (R) from the at least one animal (100) includes the heart rate of the at least one animal (100).

5. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the animal positioning component (200) comprises a real-time location system (RTLS), the real-time location system being configured to determine the respective position (A rep ) of the at least one animal (100) at a particular moment.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the dairy farm (1) is associated with the representation (Z rep ) of the plurality of zones, and wherein the animal positioning component (200) is configured to determine in which one of the plurality of zones (Z rep ) the at least one animal (100) is located at a particular moment by comparing the representation (Z rep ) of the plurality of zones with the determined corresponding position (A ) of the at least one animal (100) at a particular moment.

7. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dairy farm (1) includes at least one physically separated zone, wherein the at least one physically separated zone is physically separated from other zones of the plurality of zones of the dairy farm (1), and wherein the at least one physically separated zone includes a passage arrangement structure, the passage arrangement structure including an entry passage and an exit passage for entering and leaving the at least one physically separated zone, And wherein the animal positioning component (200) includes an animal identification component (240), the animal identification component being associated with the corresponding at least one physically separated zone in which the animal identification component (240) is arranged, The animal identification component (240) being configured to identify the at least one animal (100) when entering through the entry passage and when leaving through the exit passage. wherein the animal positioning component (200) is configured to determine in which of the plurality of zones (Z) the at least one animal (100) is located at a particular moment by registering the moments at which the at least one identified animal (100) enters and leaves the at least one physically separated zone.

8. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (20) is configured to determine that the stress level criterion (S z ) is met if the zone-specific stress level (S tr ) exceeds a reference threshold (S c ).

9. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control unit (20) is configured to determine that the stress level criterion (S z ) is met if the zone-specific stress level (S tr ) repeatedly exceeds a reference threshold (S z ) a predetermined number of times and / or if the zone-specific stress level (S c ) exceeds a reference threshold (S tr ) during a predetermined time period (T c ).

10. The system according to any one of claims 8 to 9, wherein the reference threshold (S tr ) value is based on at least one historical region-specific stress level (S z ).

11. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control unit (20) is configured to determine that the stress level criterion (S z ) is met if the zone-specific stress level (S z ) exceeds a previously determined zone-specific stress level (S z ) by a predetermined amount or exceeds an average of the accumulated previously determined stress levels (S c ) by a predetermined amount.

12. The system according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the reference threshold (S tr ) varies between the plurality of zones of the dairy farm (1).

13. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (20) is configured to determine the zone-specific stress level (S z ) for a group of animals comprising a plurality of animals (100) by the following process: associating the respective response (R) with corresponding respective animal position data (P) for each of the plurality of animals (100) in the group of animals; determining a combined response representative of the group of animals by combining the respective responses (R) that have been associated with the same zone (Z) for each of the plurality of animals (100) in the group of animals; and Determine the zone-specific stress level (S for the group of animals based on the combined response z ).

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the control unit (20) is configured to determine a combined response (R) representative of the group of animals by combining respective responses (R) of each of the plurality of animals (100) from the group of animals, wherein all respective responses (R) are timestamped with a set of moments during which all of the plurality of animals (100) from the group of animals are located in the area (Z) of the dairy farm (1) for which the area-specific stress level (S z ) is being determined.

15. The system according to any one of claims 13 to 14, wherein the control unit (20) is configured to combine the respective responses (R) from each of the plurality of animals (100) in the group of animals to determine the combined response by determining an average stress level value of the cumulative response R registered from the group of animals over a certain time period.

16. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the action comprises triggering an alarm.

17. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the system comprises a database, the database comprising a representation (Z rep ) of the plurality of zones of the dairy farm (1), and wherein the action comprises the control unit (20) updating the database by storing the moments that meet the stress level criteria (S c ) and associating the stored moments with the representation (Z rep ) of the plurality of zones for which the stress level criteria (S c ) have been met for the zone (Z).

18. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the system includes a database, the database including a representation (Z rep ) of the plurality of zones of the dairy farm (1), and wherein the action includes the control unit (20) updating the database by marking the zone (Z c ) for which the stress level criterion (S rep ) has been met as a stress-inducing zone in the representation (Z ) of the plurality of zones.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the control unit (20) is configured to indicate on a graphical user interface (500) the zone (Z) that has been marked as a stress-inducing zone.

20. A method (600) for monitoring at least one animal (100) in a dairy farm (1) comprising a plurality of zones, the method comprising: determining (610) animal position data (P), the animal position data including in which of the plurality of zones (Z) the at least one animal (100) is located at a particular moment; registering (620) at least one respective response (R) from the at least one animal (100) via at least one animal sensor arrangement (300), the at least one respective response indicating the level of physical and / or psychological stress and / or discomfort of the at least one animal (100) at a particular moment; associating (630) the at least one respective response (R) from the at least one animal (100) with corresponding animal position data (P) for the same at least one animal (100) to determine in which zone (Z) the at least one animal (100) is located at the particular moment at which the at least one respective response (R) is registered; determining (640) a zone-specific stress level (Sz) for the zone (Z) in which the at least one animal (100) has been located based on the at least one respective response (R) associated with the zone (Z); comparing (650) the zone-specific stress level (Sz) with a stress level criterion (Sc); and If the region-specific stress level (S z ) meets the stress level criterion (S c ), then an action (660) is triggered.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the comparison (650) of the region-specific stress level (S z ) with the stress level criterion (S c ) comprises comparing the region-specific stress level (S z ) with a threshold (S tr ).

22. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 21, wherein said zone-specific stress level (S z ) is determined for a group of animals comprising a plurality of animals (100) by the following process: associating (630) the respective response (R) with corresponding respective animal position data (P) for each of the plurality of animals (100) in the group of animals; Determine (641) a combined response representative of the group of animals by combining the respective responses (R) that have been associated with the same zone (Z) of each of the plurality of animals (100) from the group of animals; and Determine (640) a region-specific stress level (S) for the group of animals based on the combined response z ) 23. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the action comprises triggering an alarm (661).

24. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein the action comprises updating a database including a representation (Z rep ) of the plurality of zones including the dairy farm (1) by the following process: Save (662) the moment that meets the stress level criterion (S c ) and associate the saved moment with the zone (Z rep ) in the representation of the plurality of zones for which the stress level criterion (S c ) has been met; and / or Mark (663) the zone (Z) for which the stress level criterion (Sc) has been met as a stress-inducing zone in the representation (Zrep) of the plurality of zones.

Images