Individual information management device, system, method, and program

Abstract

Provided is an individual information management device that can facilitate identification and management of individual livestock animals and their conditions regardless of location. The individual information management device comprises a behavior comparison part and a management part, determining whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the identification / location information from the identification / location information acquisition device with the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the condition / location information from the condition / location information acquisition device for a predetermined period of time; an identification / location information acquisition means for acquiring identification / location information including information capable of determining individual identification information and location of the livestock animal, and a condition / location information acquisition means for acquiring condition / location information capable of determining condition and location of the livestock animal; and an identification / condition linking section that links the individual identification information included in the identification / location information with condition information determined based on the corresponding condition / location information when the behavior of the livestock animal is determined to be matched. (Figure 7)

Description

Technical Field

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] The present invention is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese patent application No. 2023-036437, filed on Mar. 9, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. The present invention relates to an individual information management device, system, method, and program. Background Art

[0003] In recent years, as animal welfare practices continue to gain attention, there has been a growing demand for assessing the condition (e.g., health and behavior) of livestock (individuals) on an individual basis, with a desire to manage the status of each individual individually. One technique for understanding the condition of livestock is to identify (distinguish, measure) each individual and its condition by processing images captured by a camera (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0004] Reference List

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1:

[0007] Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-P2018-182705A

[0008] Patent Document 2:

[0009] Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-P2021-023241A Summary of the Invention

[0010] Technical issues

[0011] The inventors of the present application provide the following analysis.

[0012] However, because livestock animals tend to move around frequently, the aforementioned methods may lack the information necessary to determine the individual's condition due to issues such as poor focus, distance from the subject (livestock animal), angle, and obstructions. This can make it impossible to identify the animal or assess its condition. Specifically, because the timing, equipment, and methods used to measure the condition of livestock animals vary depending on location, it is not always possible to simultaneously identify the individual and their condition. When the individual and their condition are identified separately, it may be impossible to link (associate) the two.

[0013] A primary object of the present invention is to provide an individual information management device, system, method, and program that can help identify and manage individuals and their conditions regardless of location.

[0014] Solution to the problem

[0015] The individual information management device related to the first aspect includes: a behavior comparison unit, configured to determine whether the (first and second) behaviors of the livestock animal match by comparing the (first) behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the identification / position information from the identification / position information acquisition device and the (second) behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the status / position information from the status / position information acquisition device for a predetermined time period, the identification / position information acquisition device acquiring identification / position information including information capable of determining the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal, and the status / position information acquisition device acquiring status / position information capable of determining the status and position of the livestock animal; and an identification / condition linking unit, configured to: when the (first and second) behaviors of the livestock animal are determined to match, link the individual identification information included in the identification / position information with the status information determined based on the corresponding status / position information.

[0016] The individual information management system related to the second aspect includes: an identification / position information acquisition device, configured to acquire identification / position information, the identification / position information including information capable of determining the individual identification information and position of livestock animals; a condition / position information acquisition device, configured to acquire condition / position information capable of determining the condition and position of livestock animals; and an individual information management device related to the first aspect.

[0017] The individual information management method related to the third aspect is an individual information management method for managing individual information using an individual information management device that manages various status information of each individual livestock animal and includes the following steps: causing the individual information management device to determine whether the (first and second) behaviors of the livestock animal match by comparing the (first) behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification / position information from an identification / position information acquisition device and the (second) behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on status / position information from a status / position information acquisition device for a predetermined time period, the identification / position information acquisition device acquiring identification / position information including information capable of determining the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal, and the status / position information acquisition device acquiring status / position information capable of determining the status and position of the livestock animal; and causing the individual information management device to link the individual identification information included in the identification / position information with the status information determined based on the corresponding status / position information when the (first and second) behaviors of the livestock animal are determined to match.

[0018] The program related to the fourth aspect is a program that causes an individual information management device that manages various status information of each individual livestock animal to perform processing for managing individual information and causes the individual information management device to perform the following steps: determining whether the (first and second) behaviors of the livestock animal match by comparing the (first) behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification / position information from an identification / position information acquisition device and the (second) behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on status / position information from a status / position information acquisition device for a predetermined time period, the identification / position information acquisition device acquiring identification / position information including information capable of determining the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal, and the status / position information acquisition device acquiring status / position information capable of determining the status and position of the livestock animal; and when the (first and second) behaviors of the livestock animal are determined to match, linking the individual identification information included in the identification / position information with the status information determined based on the corresponding status / position information.

[0019] In addition, the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can be a non-transitory storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, etc. In addition, the present disclosure can also be implemented as a computer program product. The program is supplied to the computer device by using an input device or from the outside via a communication interface, stored in a storage device, and operates the processor according to predetermined steps or processes. The program can gradually display its processing results (including intermediate states) via a display device as needed, or can communicate with the outside via a communication interface. For example, a computer device for this purpose includes a processor, a storage device, an input device, a communication interface, and a display device (if necessary) that can generally be connected to each other via a bus.

[0020] Advantageous Effects of the Invention

[0021] According to the first to fourth aspects, it is possible to facilitate identification and management of individual livestock animals and their conditions regardless of location. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] [ Figure 1 ] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of an individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1.

[0023] [ Figure 2 ] Figure 2 is a table schematically showing the configuration of identification / position management information used in the individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1.

[0024] [ Figure 3 ] Figure 3is a table schematically showing the configuration of status / position management information used in the individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1.

[0025] [ Figure 4 ] Figure 4 is a table schematically showing the configuration of identification / status management information used in the individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1.

[0026] [ Figure 5 ] Figure 5 : is a schematic diagram showing a comparison between the behavior of livestock tracked by the identification / position determination section and the behavior of livestock tracked by the condition / position determination section in the individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1.

[0027] [ Figure 6 ] Figure 6 is a sequence diagram schematically showing the operation of the individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1.

[0028] [ Figure 7 ] Figure 7 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an individual information management apparatus related to Exemplary Embodiment 2.

[0029] [ Figure 8 ] Figure 8 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of hardware resources. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Example embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the reference numerals used herein are primarily to facilitate understanding and are not intended to limit the present invention to the illustrated embodiments. Furthermore, the following example embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the present invention. The connecting lines between blocks in the drawings cited in the following description may be both bidirectional and unidirectional. Unidirectional arrows schematically illustrate the primary flow of signals (data) and do not exclude bidirectionality. Furthermore, in the circuit diagrams, block diagrams, internal configuration diagrams, and connection diagrams shown in the disclosure of this application, although not explicitly shown, the input and output ends of each connecting line have input ports and output ports, respectively. The same applies to input / output interfaces. The program is executed by a computer device, which, for example, includes a processor, a storage device, an input device, a communication interface, and a display device as needed. The computer device is configured to be able to perform wired or wireless communication with its internal devices or with external devices (including a computer) via a communication interface.

[0031] [Example 1]

[0032] An individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1 is described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of an individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a table schematically showing the configuration of identification / position management information used in the individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1. Figure 3 is a table schematically showing the configuration of status / position management information used in the individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1. Figure 4 is a table schematically showing the configuration of identification / status management information used in the individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1. Figure 5 : is a schematic diagram showing a comparison between the behavior of livestock tracked by the identification / position determination section and the behavior of livestock tracked by the condition / position determination section in the individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1.

[0033] The individual information management system 1 is a system that manages the condition information and individual identification information of the livestock animals 2 while linking them to each other (refer to Figure 1 The individual information management system 1 includes an individual information management device 10 , identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N, status / position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M, and a network 40 .

[0034] The individual information management device 10 is a device configured to manage various condition information of each individual livestock animal (refer to Figure 1 A server including computer functions can be used as the individual information management device 10. Furthermore, the individual information management device 10 can be virtually implemented in a cloud system. The individual information management device 10 can be configured to virtually include the identification / position determination unit 11, the status / position determination unit 12, the behavior comparison unit 13, and the identification / status linking unit 14 by executing a stored predetermined program.

[0035] The identification / position determination unit 11 is a functional unit that determines the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal 2 (individual) based on the identification / position information from the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N (refer to Figure 1Individual identification information can be determined by using the individual identification information included in the identification / position information as is. If the identification / position information includes the location information of the livestock animal 2, the location can be determined by using the location information as is. When the identification / position information does not include the location information of the livestock animal 2, the location can be determined based on the location information of the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N included in the identification / position information and the reception intensity data recorded when the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N receive information including individual identification information (information not including location information). The location information may be coordinate information. The identification / position determination unit 11 associates the determined individual identification information with the location information. The identification / position determination unit 11 determines the individual identification information and location of the livestock animal 2 at regular intervals, tracks the behavior of the livestock animal 2 based on the determined individual identification information or location or the identification information of the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N that have acquired the identification / position information, and associates the tracked behavior of the livestock animal 2 with the location information associated therewith. The identification / position determination section 11 may store the position information and the individual identification information of the same livestock animal 2 as identification / position management information (refer to Figure 2 ), and the identification / position management information may be deleted after the identification / status linking section 14 has completed the linking process. The identification / position management information may be associated with the identification information of the identification / position information acquiring devices 20A to 20N.

[0036] The condition / position determination unit 12 is a functional unit that determines the condition and position of the livestock animal 2 (individual) based on the condition / position information from the condition / position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M (refer to Figure 1Condition information can be determined through image processing of image data. If the condition of the livestock animal 2 can be determined solely from the image data, the image data can be used as condition information without further processing. Examples of conditions include assessment items related to animal welfare (e.g., lameness, gait, standing position, prone position, posture, feeding, drinking, body surface, etc.), and can be conditions that can be observed regardless of position. Position can be determined, for example, by performing image analysis, calculations, etc. based on the position information and angle information (e.g., shooting direction) of the condition / position information acquiring devices 30A to 30M included in the condition / position information as image data. The position information can be coordinate information. The condition / position determining unit 12 associates the determined condition information and position information with each other. The condition / position determining unit 12 determines the condition and position of the livestock animal 2 at regular intervals, tracks the behavior of the livestock animal 2 based on the determined condition or position, or the identification information of the condition / position information acquiring devices 30A to 30M that have acquired the condition / position information, and associates the tracked behavior of the livestock animal 2 with the associated position information. The status / position determination section 12 may store the position information and status information of the same livestock animal 2 as status / position management information (refer to the status / position management information) in association with each other for each piece of time information. Figure 3 ), and the status / position management information may be deleted after the identification / status linking section 14 has completed the linking process. The status / position management information may be associated with the identification information of the status / position information acquiring devices 30A to 30M.

[0037] The behavior comparison unit 13 is a functional unit that determines whether the behavior of the livestock animal 2 matches (within a predetermined error margin) by comparing (matching, checking) the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked by the identification / position determination unit 11 and the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked by the condition / position determination unit 12 for a predetermined period of time (refer to Figure 1 and Figure 5 When comparing the behavior of livestock animal 2, behavior comparison unit 13 may perform mapping, scaling, and other operations on the behavior of livestock animal 2 tracked by identification / position determination unit 11 or the behavior of livestock animal 2 tracked by status / position determination unit 12 to facilitate comparison. Note that mapping, scaling, and other operations may be performed by identification / position determination unit 11 or status / position determination unit 12. When comparing the behavior of livestock animal 2, behavior comparison unit 13 considers whether livestock animal 2 is moving and whether the direction, duration, and distance of movement, etc., are consistent with the actual movement of livestock animal 2.

[0038] The identification / situation linking section 14 is a functional section that performs the following operations: when the behavior comparing section 13 determines that the behavior of the livestock animal 2 matches, it links the individual identification information associated with the position information determined by the identification / position determining section 11 and the situation information associated with the corresponding position information determined by the situation / position determining section 12 (refer to Figure 1 ). The identification / status linking section 14 links the individual identification information and the status information together and stores the result as identification / status management information (refer to Figure 4 Time information (e.g., time information related to status information) or location information (e.g., location information related to status information) can also be linked to the identification / status management information. The identification / status management information allows management of not only all linked information but also only information that meets a predetermined condition (e.g., when the condition has changed).

[0039] The identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N are devices configured to acquire identification / position information including information capable of determining the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal 2 (refer to Figure 1 The identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N are installed at predetermined locations within the livestock facility. When the location of the livestock animal 2 has been determined, the location information of the livestock animal 2 can be used as is as information that can be used to determine the location of the livestock animal 2. If the location of the livestock animal 2 has not yet been determined, the location information of the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N and the reception intensity data recorded when the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N receive information including individual identification information (but not including location information) can be used. The identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N can acquire identification / position information at regular intervals. For example, the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N can be receiving devices that utilize communication standards such as BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark)) and UWB (Ultra-Wideband), or RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) readers. Any configuration can be used as long as the device can acquire data that can determine the individual identification information and location of the livestock animal 2. The identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N transmit the acquired identification / position information to the individual information management device 10.

[0040] In the case where the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N are receiving devices that utilize a predetermined standard, the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N can receive a beacon signal (a signal including individual identification information) from a transmitter 3 attached to the livestock animal 2, and send the identification / position information in which the individual identification information included in the received beacon signal, the position information of the receiving device, and the receiving intensity data recorded when the beacon signal is received are associated with each other to the individual information management device 10.

[0041] In addition, in the case where the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N are receiving devices, the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N can receive individual identification information with position information from the transmitter 3 with a GPS receiver attached to the livestock animal 2, and send the received individual identification information with position information as identification / position information to the individual information management device 10.

[0042] In addition, in the case where the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N are RFID readers, the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N can read individual identification information from an RFID tag (not shown in the figure) attached to the livestock animal 2, and send the identification / position information in which the read individual identification information, the position information of the RFID reader, and (if necessary) the receiving intensity data recorded when the individual identification information is read are associated with each other to the individual information management device 10.

[0043] Furthermore, the identification / position information acquiring devices 20A to 20N may also be configured to use LF (low frequency) antennas, tags, or codes to acquire identification / position information including information capable of determining individual identification information and positions of the livestock animals 2 .

[0044] The condition / position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M are devices configured to acquire condition / position information capable of determining the condition and position of the livestock animal 2 (refer to Figure 1The status / position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M are installed at predetermined locations within the livestock facility. Image data, for example, can be used as the status / position information, and may include positional information and angle information (e.g., shooting direction) for the status / position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M. The status / position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M may be cameras that capture images of predetermined locations. Any device capable of determining (measuring) the status and position of livestock animals 2 may be used, regardless of configuration, and may incorporate a 3D sensor, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), or point cloud sensor. Furthermore, in well-lit environments, RGB (Red-Green-Blue) cameras, for example, may be used, while in dimly lit environments, low-light cameras, infrared cameras, or other cameras suitable for dark conditions may be used. Furthermore, the status / position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M may be, for example, scales that record measurement times. These scales can be installed at multiple predetermined locations and can track individuals of the same weight to obtain their status (weight) and position (predetermined location). The situation / position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M may acquire situation / position information at regular intervals, and transmit the acquired situation / position information to the individual information management device 10 .

[0045] The network 40 is an information and communication network that connects the individual information management device 10, the identification / location information acquisition devices 20A to 20N, and the status / location information acquisition devices 30A to 30M, enabling them to communicate with one another. For example, the network 40 may be a communication network such as a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a global area network (GAN). The network 40 may include access points such as Wi-Fi and wireless LAN.

[0046] With reference to the drawings, the following describes the operation of the individual information management system related to Exemplary Embodiment 1. Figure 6 is a sequence diagram schematically showing the operation of the individual information management system related to exemplary embodiment 1. Configuration of the individual information management system Figure 1 .

[0047] First, an identification / position information acquisition device (any one of 20A to 20N) acquires and transmits identification / position information, including information capable of determining the individual identification and location of livestock animal 2, at regular intervals (step A1). The individual identification information can be obtained, for example, from a transmitter 3 attached to livestock animal 2.

[0048] Next, the status / position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M acquire and transmit status / position information that enables the identification of the status and position of the livestock animal 2 at regular intervals (step A2). Note that step A2 is performed in parallel with step A1. Step A2 may be performed simultaneously with step A1, or before or after step A1.

[0049] Next, the identification / position determination section 11 of the individual information management device 10 determines the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal 2 (individual) based on the identification / position information from the identification / position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N, and tracks the behavior of the livestock animal 2 (step A3 ).

[0050] Next, the condition / position determination unit 12 of the individual information management device 10 determines the condition and position of the livestock animal 2 (individual) based on the condition / position information from the condition / position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M, and tracks the behavior of the livestock animal 2 (step A4). Note that step A4 can be executed simultaneously with step A3, or before or after step A3.

[0051] Next, the behavior comparison unit 13 of the individual information management device 10 compares (matches, verifies) the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked by the identification / position determination unit 11 and the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked by the condition / position determination unit 12 for a predetermined period of time to determine whether the behavior of the livestock animal 2 matches (within a predetermined error margin) (step A5). If the behavior of the livestock animal 2 does not match, the operation ends.

[0052] If behavior comparison unit 13 determines that the behavior of livestock animal 2 matches, identification / status linking unit 14 of individual information management device 10 links the individual identification information associated with the location information determined by identification / position determination unit 11 with the status information associated with the corresponding location information determined by status / position determination unit 12, and stores the result (step A6). The operation then terminates.

[0053] According to example embodiment 1, since the behavior of livestock animal 2 tracked by identification / position determination unit 11 and the behavior of livestock animal 2 tracked by condition / position determination unit 12 are compared, individuals related to livestock animal 2 can be identified, their conditions can be determined, and the identification and conditions can be linked regardless of location, thereby facilitating management of information related to animal welfare for each individual.

[0054] [Example 2]

[0055] With reference to the drawings, the following describes an individual information management apparatus related to Exemplary Embodiment 2. Figure 7 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an individual information management apparatus related to Exemplary Embodiment 2.

[0056] The individual information management device 10 is a device configured to manage various status information of each individual livestock animal. The individual information management device 10 includes a behavior comparison section 13 and an identification / status linking section 14 .

[0057] The behavior comparison unit 13 is configured to determine whether the behavior of the livestock animal 2 matches by comparing the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked based on the identification / position information from the identification / position information acquisition device 20 with the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked based on the condition / position information from the condition / position information acquisition device 30 for a predetermined period of time. Furthermore, the identification / position information acquisition device 20 is configured to acquire identification / position information including information capable of determining the individual identification information and location of the livestock animal 2. The condition / position information acquisition device 30 is configured to acquire condition / position information capable of determining the condition and location of the livestock animal 2.

[0058] The identification / situation linking section 14 is configured to link the individual identification information included in the identification / position information with the situation information determined based on the corresponding situation / position information when the behavior of the livestock animal 2 is determined to be a match.

[0059] According to Example Embodiment 2, since the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked based on the identification / location information from the identification / location information acquisition device 20 and the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the condition / location information from the condition / location information acquisition device 30 are compared, it is possible to identify individuals related to the livestock animals, determine their conditions, and link the identification and conditions regardless of location, thereby facilitating management of information related to the animal welfare of each individual.

[0060] Furthermore, the individual information management apparatus related to exemplary embodiments 1 and 2 may be configured by so-called hardware resources (information processing apparatus, computer), and may adopt Figure 8 For example, the hardware resource 100 includes a processor 101 , a memory 102 , a network interface 103 , etc., which are connected to each other via an internal bus 104 .

[0061] Notice, Figure 8 The configuration shown is not intended to limit the hardware configuration of the hardware resource 100. The hardware resource 100 may include hardware (eg, input / output interface) not shown in the drawings. In addition, the number of units such as the processor 101 included in the apparatus is not limited to Figure 8 In the example shown, for example, a plurality of processors 101 may be included in the hardware resource 100. For example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Microprocessor Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. may be used as the processor 101.

[0062] As the memory 102 , for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like can be used.

[0063] As the network interface 103 , for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) card, a network adapter, a network interface card, or the like can be used.

[0064] The functions of hardware resource 100 are implemented by the aforementioned processing modules. These processing modules are implemented, for example, by causing processor 101 to execute a program stored in memory 102. Furthermore, the program can be downloaded via a network or updated using a storage medium storing the program. Furthermore, the processing modules can be implemented by semiconductor chips. In other words, the functions performed by the processing modules can be implemented by running software on some type of hardware.

[0065] Some or all of the above-described exemplary embodiments may be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0066] [Supplementary Note 1]

[0067] An individual information management device, comprising:

[0068] a behavior comparing unit configured to determine whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing, for a predetermined period of time, the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification / position information from an identification / position information acquiring device that acquires identification / position information including information capable of determining the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal and the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on condition / position information from a condition / position information acquiring device that acquires condition / position information capable of determining the condition and position of the livestock animal; and

[0069] An identification / condition linking unit is configured to link the individual identification information included in the identification / position information with the condition information determined based on the corresponding condition / position information when the behavior of the livestock animal is determined to be a match.

[0070] [Supplementary Note 2]

[0071] The individual information management device according to Supplementary Note 1, comprising:

[0072] an identification / position determination unit configured to track the behavior of the livestock animal based on the determined individual identification information or position of the livestock animal, or identification information of the identification / position information acquisition device, wherein the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal are determined based on the identification / position information from the identification / position information acquisition device, and the identification information is acquired from the identification / position information acquisition device, wherein

[0073] The behavior comparison section is configured to use the behavior of the livestock animal tracked by the identification / position determination section for comparison.

[0074] [Supplementary Note 3]

[0075] The individual information management device according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein

[0076] The identification / position determination unit is configured to associate the tracked behavior of the livestock animal with location information related to the location thereof, and

[0077] The behavior comparison unit is configured to perform comparison using the location information associated by the identification / location determination unit.

[0078] [Supplementary Note 4]

[0079] The individual information management device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, comprising:

[0080] a condition / position determining unit configured to determine the condition and position of the livestock animal based on the condition / position information from the condition / position information acquiring device, and to track the behavior of the livestock animal based on the determined condition, the determined position, or identification information of the condition / position information acquiring device that has acquired the condition / position information, wherein

[0081] The behavior comparison section is configured to use the behavior of the livestock animal tracked by the status / position determination section for comparison.

[0082] [Supplementary Note 5]

[0083] The individual information management device according to Supplementary Note 4, wherein

[0084] The condition / position determination section is configured to associate position information of positions related to the tracked behavior of the livestock animal with each other, and

[0085] The behavior comparison section is configured to perform comparison using the position information associated with the situation / position determination section.

[0086] [Supplementary Note 6]

[0087] The individual information management device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein

[0088] The behavior comparison unit is configured to at least perform mapping on the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the identification / position information from the identification / position information acquisition device or on the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the condition / position information from the condition / position information acquisition device so as to enable comparison when comparing the behaviors of the livestock animals.

[0089] [Supplementary Note 7]

[0090] The individual information management device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein

[0091] The behavior comparison unit is configured to perform at least scaling adjustment on the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the identification / position information from the identification / position information acquisition device or on the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the condition / position information from the condition / position information acquisition device so as to enable comparison when comparing the behaviors of the livestock animals.

[0092] [Supplementary Note 8]

[0093] An individual information management system, comprising:

[0094] an identification / position information acquisition device configured to acquire identification / position information, the identification / position information including information containing individual identification information of a livestock animal and information capable of determining the position of the livestock animal;

[0095] a condition / position information acquisition device configured to acquire condition / position information capable of determining the condition and position of the livestock animal; and

[0096] The individual information management device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 7.

[0097] [Supplementary Note 9]

[0098] The individual information management system according to Supplementary Note 8, wherein

[0099] The identification / position information acquisition device is a receiving device, which utilizes a predetermined communication standard and is configured to: receive a beacon signal from a transmitter attached to the livestock animal, and send the identification / position information to the individual information management device, in which the individual identification information included in the received beacon signal, the position information of the receiving device, and the reception strength data recorded when the beacon signal is received are associated with each other.

[0100] [Supplementary Note 10]

[0101] The individual information management system according to Supplementary Note 8, wherein

[0102] The identification / position information acquisition device is a receiving device, which is configured to: receive individual identification information with position information from a transmitter with a GPS receiver attached to the livestock animal, and send the received individual identification information with the position information as the identification / position information to the individual information management device.

[0103] [Supplementary Note 11]

[0104] The individual information management system according to Supplementary Note 8, wherein

[0105] The identification / position information acquisition device is an RFID reader, which is configured to: read individual identification information from an RFID tag attached to a livestock animal and send the identification / position information to the individual information management device, in which the read individual identification information and the position information of the RFID reader are associated with each other.

[0106] [Supplementary Note 12]

[0107] The individual information management system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 8 to 11, wherein

[0108] The situation / position information acquisition device is a camera, a three-dimensional sensor, a LiDAR sensor, or a point cloud sensor that captures an image of a predetermined position.

[0109] [Supplementary Note 13]

[0110] An individual information management method for managing individual information using an individual information management device, wherein the individual information management device manages various condition information of each individual livestock animal, the individual information management method comprising the following steps:

[0111] causing the individual information management device to determine whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing, for a predetermined period of time, the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification / position information from an identification / position information acquisition device that acquires identification / position information including information capable of determining the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal and the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on condition / position information from a condition / position information acquisition device that acquires condition / position information capable of determining the condition and position of the livestock animal; and

[0112] The individual information management device is caused to link the individual identification information included in the identification / position information with the situation information determined based on the corresponding situation / position information when the behavior of the livestock animal is determined to match.

[0113] [Supplementary note 14]

[0114] A program causing an individual information management device to execute a process of managing individual information, the individual information management device managing various status information of each individual livestock animal, the program causing the individual information management device to execute the following steps:

[0115] determining whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing, for a predetermined period of time, the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification / position information from an identification / position information acquiring device that acquires identification / position information including information capable of determining the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal and the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on condition / position information from a condition / position information acquiring device that acquires condition / position information capable of determining the condition and position of the livestock animal; and

[0116] When the behavior of the livestock animal is determined to be a match, the individual identification information included in the identification / position information is linked with the condition information determined based on the corresponding condition / position information.

[0117] In addition, the disclosures of the aforementioned patent documents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and may be used as a basis for or as part of the present invention, as needed. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments or examples may be modified or adjusted within the scope of the entire disclosure of the present invention (including the claims and drawings) and based on the basic technical concept of the present invention. Furthermore, various disclosed elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each exemplary embodiment or example, and each element of each drawing) may be combined or selected (or deselected, if necessary) within the scope of the entire disclosure of the present invention. That is, it goes without saying that the present invention encompasses any type of variation and modification that can be made by a skilled person based on the entire disclosure, including the claims and drawings, and the technical concept of the present invention. Specifically, any numerical value or range disclosed herein should be interpreted as disclosing any intermediate or lower value or sub-range falling within the disclosed range, even if not explicitly stated. Furthermore, for the purposes of the present invention, some or all of the elements disclosed in each of the aforementioned documents may be combined with the elements described herein as part of the disclosure of the present invention, and should be considered included in (or belonging to) the disclosed elements of the present application.

[0118] Reference Signs List

[0119] 1: Individual Information Management System

[0120] 2: Livestock animals

[0121] 3: Transmitter

[0122] 10: Individual information management device

[0123] 11: Identification / position determination unit

[0124] 12: Status / Location Determination Unit

[0125] 13: Behavioral Comparison Department

[0126] 14: Logo / Status Link

[0127] 20, 20A to 20N: Identification / position information acquisition device

[0128] 30, 30A to 30M: Status / position information acquisition device

[0129] 40: Network

[0130] 100: Hardware resources

[0131] 101: Processor

[0132] 102: Memory

[0133] 103: Network interface

[0134] 104: Internal bus.

Claims

1. An individual information management device, comprising: a behavior comparing unit configured to determine whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing, for a predetermined period of time, the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification / position information from an identification / position information acquiring device that acquires identification / position information including information capable of determining the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal and the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on condition / position information from a condition / position information acquiring device that acquires condition / position information capable of determining the condition and position of the livestock animal; as well as An identification / condition linking unit is configured to link the individual identification information included in the identification / position information with the condition information determined based on the corresponding condition / position information when the behavior of the livestock animal is determined to be a match.

2. The individual information management device according to claim 1, comprising: an identification / position determination unit configured to track the behavior of the livestock animal based on the determined individual identification information or position of the livestock animal, or identification information of the identification / position information acquisition device, wherein the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal are determined based on the identification / position information from the identification / position information acquisition device, and the identification information is acquired from the identification / position information acquisition device, wherein The behavior comparison section is configured to use the behavior of the livestock animal tracked by the identification / position determination section for comparison.

3. The individual information management device according to claim 2, wherein: The identification / position determination unit is configured to associate the tracked behavior of the livestock animal with location information related to the location thereof, and The behavior comparison unit is configured to perform comparison using the location information associated by the identification / location determination unit.

4. The individual information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: a condition / position determining unit configured to determine the condition and position of the livestock animal based on the condition / position information from the condition / position information acquiring device, and to track the behavior of the livestock animal based on the determined condition, the determined position, or identification information of the condition / position information acquiring device that has acquired the condition / position information, wherein The behavior comparison section is configured to use the behavior of the livestock animal tracked by the status / position determination section for comparison.

5. The individual information management device according to claim 4, wherein: The condition / position determination section is configured to associate position information of positions related to the tracked behavior of the livestock animal with each other, and The behavior comparison section is configured to perform comparison using the position information associated with the situation / position determination section.

6. The individual information management device according to claim 1, wherein The behavior comparison unit is configured to at least perform mapping on the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the identification / position information from the identification / position information acquisition device or on the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the condition / position information from the condition / position information acquisition device so as to enable comparison when comparing the behaviors of the livestock animals.

7. The individual information management device according to claim 1, wherein: The behavior comparison unit is configured to perform at least scaling adjustment on the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the identification / position information from the identification / position information acquisition device or on the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on the condition / position information from the condition / position information acquisition device so as to enable comparison when comparing the behaviors of the livestock animals.

8. An individual information management system comprising: an identification / position information acquisition device configured to acquire identification / position information, the identification / position information including individual identification information of livestock animals and information capable of determining the location of the livestock animals; a condition / position information acquisition device configured to acquire condition / position information capable of determining the condition and position of the livestock animal; as well as The individual information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The individual information management system according to claim 8, wherein: The identification / position information acquisition device is a receiving device, which utilizes a predetermined communication standard and is configured to: receive a beacon signal from a transmitter attached to the livestock animal, and send the identification / position information to the individual information management device, in which the individual identification information included in the received beacon signal, the position information of the receiving device, and the reception strength data recorded when the beacon signal is received are associated with each other.

10. The individual information management system according to claim 8, wherein: The identification / position information acquisition device is a receiving device, which is configured to: receive individual identification information with position information from a transmitter with a GPS receiver attached to the livestock animal, and send the received individual identification information with the position information as the identification / position information to the individual information management device.

11. The individual information management system according to claim 8, wherein: The identification / position information acquisition device is an RFID reader, which is configured to: read individual identification information from an RFID tag attached to a livestock animal and send the identification / position information to the individual information management device, in which the read individual identification information and the position information of the RFID reader are associated with each other.

12. The individual information management system according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein: The situation / position information acquisition device is a camera, a three-dimensional sensor, a LiDAR sensor, or a point cloud sensor that captures an image of a predetermined position.

13. An individual information management method for managing individual information using an individual information management device, the individual information management device managing various condition information of each individual livestock animal, the individual information management method comprising the following steps: causing the individual information management device to determine whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing, for a predetermined period of time, the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification / position information from an identification / position information acquisition device that acquires identification / position information including information capable of determining the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal and the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on condition / position information from a condition / position information acquisition device that acquires condition / position information capable of determining the condition and position of the livestock animal; as well as The individual information management device is caused to link the individual identification information included in the identification / position information with the situation information determined based on the corresponding situation / position information when the behavior of the livestock animal is determined to match.

14. A program for causing an individual information management device to execute a process of managing individual information, the individual information management device managing various status information of each individual livestock animal, the program causing the individual information management device to execute the following steps: determining whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing, for a predetermined period of time, the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification / location information from an identification / location information acquiring device that acquires identification / location information including information capable of determining the individual identification information and location of the livestock animal and the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on status / location information from a status / location information acquiring device that acquires status / location information capable of determining the status and location of the livestock animal; and When the behavior of the livestock animal is determined to be a match, the individual identification information included in the identification / position information is linked with the condition information determined based on the corresponding condition / position information.

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