Individual information management device, system, method, and program

Abstract

Provided is an individual information management device, for example, that can contribute to identifying and managing an individual and the condition thereof regardless of location. This individual information management device comprises: a behavior comparison unit that compares, for a predetermined time period, the behavior of a livestock animal tracked on the basis of identification / location information from an identification / location information acquisition device which acquires identification / location information including individual identification information of a livestock animal and information that allows for identification of the location of the livestock animal, with the behavior of a livestock animal tracked on the basis of condition / location information from a condition / location information acquisition device which acquires condition / location information that allows for identification of the condition and location of a livestock animal, to determine whether the behaviors of the livestock animals are consistent with each other; and an identification / condition association unit which, if the behaviors of the livestock animals are determined to be consistent with each other, associates the individual identification information included in the identification / location information with condition information identified on the basis of the corresponding condition / location information. (FIG. 7)

Description

Individual information management device, system, method, and program

[0001] [Description of Related Applications] The present invention is based on priority claim of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-036437 (filed March 9, 2023), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The present invention relates to an individual information management device, system, method, and program.

[0002] In recent years, in order to put into practice the widespread concept of animal welfare, it has become necessary to evaluate the health, behavior, and other conditions of livestock animals (individuals), and it is desirable to manage the condition of each individual animal. One technique for understanding the condition of livestock animals is a method of identifying (identifying and measuring) individuals and their condition by processing images taken with a camera (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] JP 2018-182705 A JP 2021-023241 A

[0004] The following analysis is provided by the present inventors.

[0005] However, because livestock animals often move around, the above method may result in a lack of information necessary to identify the individual's condition due to focus shifts, the distance and angle of the subject (livestock animal), obstacles, etc., making it impossible to identify the individual or its condition. In particular, because the timing, measuring device, measuring method, etc., of measuring the individual's condition vary depending on the location, it may not be possible to simultaneously identify the individual and its condition, and if the individual and its condition are identified separately, it may not be possible to link (associate) the individual and its condition.

[0006] A main object of the present invention is to provide an individual information management device, system, method, and program that can contribute to identifying and managing individuals and their conditions regardless of location.

[0007] The individual information management device according to the first aspect comprises a behavior comparison unit configured to determine whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification location information from an identification location information acquisition device that acquires identification location information including the individual identification information of the livestock animal and information capable of identifying the location of the livestock animal for a predetermined period of time with the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on state location information from a state location information acquisition device that acquires state location information capable of identifying the state and location of the livestock animal, and an identification state linking unit configured, when it is determined that the behavior of the livestock animal matches, to link the individual identification information included in the identification location information with the state information identified based on the corresponding state location information.

[0008] The individual information management system relating to the second perspective comprises an identification location information acquisition device configured to acquire identification location information including individual identification information of livestock animals and information capable of identifying the location of the livestock animals, a status location information acquisition device configured to acquire status location information capable of identifying the status and location of the livestock animals, and an individual information management device relating to the first perspective.

[0009] The individual information management method according 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 for each individual livestock animal, and includes the steps of: the individual information management device determining whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification location information from an identification location information acquisition device that acquires identification location information including the individual identification information of the livestock animal and information that can identify the location of the livestock animal for a predetermined period of time with the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on status location information from a status location information acquisition device that acquires status location information that can identify the status and location of the livestock animal; and, when it is determined that the behavior of the livestock animal matches, the individual identification information included in the identification location information is linked to the status information identified based on the corresponding status location information.

[0010] The program relating to the fourth aspect is a program that causes an individual information management device that manages various status information for each individual livestock animal to execute a process for managing individual information, and causes the individual information management device to execute the following steps: determining whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification location information from an identification location information acquisition device that acquires identification location information including the individual identification information of the livestock animal and information that can identify the location of the livestock animal for a predetermined period of time with the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on status location information from a status location information acquisition device that acquires status location information that can identify the status and location of the livestock animal; and, when it is determined that the behavior of the livestock animal matches, linking the individual identification information included in the identification location information with the status information identified based on the corresponding status location information.

[0011] The program can be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can be a non-transient medium such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. The present disclosure can also be embodied as a computer program product. The program is input to a computer device from an input device or an external device via a communication interface, stored in a storage device, and drives a processor according to predetermined steps or processes. The processing results, including intermediate states as needed, can be displayed at each stage on a display device, or the computer device can communicate with the outside world via the communication interface. For example, a computer device for this purpose typically includes a processor, a storage device, an input device, a communication interface, and, if necessary, a display device, all of which can be connected to each other via a bus.

[0012] The first to fourth aspects can contribute to identifying and managing individuals and their conditions regardless of location.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an individual information management system according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a table schematically showing the configuration of identification position management information used in the individual information management system according to embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a table schematically showing the configuration of status position management information used in the individual information management system according to embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a table schematically showing the configuration of identification status management information used in the individual information management system according to embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is an image diagram schematically showing a comparison between the behavior of a livestock animal tracked by an identification position specifying unit in the individual information management system according to embodiment 1 and the behavior of a livestock animal tracked by a status position specifying unit. FIG. 6 is a sequence chart diagram schematically showing the operation of the individual information management system according to embodiment 1. FIG. 7 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an individual information management device according to embodiment 2. FIG. 8 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of hardware resources.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, when reference numerals are used in this application, they are intended solely to facilitate understanding and are not intended to limit the present invention to the illustrated embodiments. Furthermore, the following embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the present invention. Furthermore, connecting lines between blocks in the drawings, etc., referred to in the following description, include both bidirectional and unidirectional lines. Unidirectional arrows are used to schematically indicate the flow of main signals (data) and do not exclude bidirectionality. Furthermore, although not explicitly shown, input and output ports exist at the input and output ends of each connecting line in the circuit diagrams, block diagrams, internal configuration diagrams, connection diagrams, etc., shown in this disclosure. The same applies to input / output interfaces. A program is executed via a computer device, which includes, for example, a processor, a storage device, an input device, a communication interface, and, if necessary, a display device. The computer device is configured to communicate with internal or external devices (including computers) via the communication interface, whether wired or wireless.

[0015] [Embodiment 1] An individual information management system according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the individual information management system according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a table schematically showing the configuration of identification position management information used in the individual information management system according to embodiment 1. Fig. 3 is a table schematically showing the configuration of state position management information used in the individual information management system according to embodiment 1. Fig. 4 is a table schematically showing the configuration of identification state management information used in the individual information management system according to embodiment 1. Fig. 5 is an image diagram schematically showing a comparison between the behavior of a livestock animal tracked by an identification position specifying unit and the behavior of a livestock animal tracked by a state position specifying unit in the individual information management system according to embodiment 1.

[0016] The individual information management system 1 is a system that links and manages the status information and individual identification information of livestock animals 2 (see FIG. 1). The individual information management system 1 comprises an individual information management device 10, identification position information acquisition devices 20A-20N, status position information acquisition devices 30A-30M, and a network 40.

[0017] The individual information management device 10 is a device configured to manage various state information for each individual (see FIG. 1 ). A server equipped with computer functions can be used as the individual information management device 10. The individual information management device 10 may also be virtually realized on the cloud. By executing a predetermined program stored therein, the individual information management device 10 can be virtually configured to include an identification position specifying unit 11, a state position specifying unit 12, a behavior comparison unit 13, and an identification state linking unit 14.

[0018] The identification position specification unit 11 is a functional unit that specifies 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-20N (see FIG. 1). The individual identification information can be specified using the individual identification information contained 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 specified using the location information as is. If the identification position information does not include the location information of the livestock animal 2, the location can be specified based on the location information of the identification position information acquisition devices 20A-20N themselves, which is included in the identification position information, and the reception intensity data when the identification position information acquisition devices 20A-20N receive information including the individual identification information (information not including location information). The location information can be coordinate information. The identification position specification unit 11 associates the specified individual identification information with the location information. The identification position specifying unit 11 specifies the individual identification information and position of the livestock animal 2 at intervals, tracks the behavior of the livestock animal 2 based on the specified individual identification information or position, or the identification information of the identification position information acquisition devices 20A-20N that acquired the identification position information, and associates the position information related to the behavior of the tracked livestock animal 2. The identification position specifying unit 11 may associate the position information and individual identification information for the same livestock animal 2 for each time information and save it as identification position management information (see FIG. 2), and may erase the identification position management information after the linking process is performed by the identification status linking unit 14. The identification position management information may also be associated with the identification information of the identification position information acquisition devices 20A-20N.

[0019] The condition position identification unit 12 is a functional unit that identifies the condition and position of the livestock animal 2 (individual) based on the condition position information from the condition position information acquisition devices 30A-30M (see Figure 1). The condition information can be identified by image processing of the image data. As long as the condition of the livestock animal 2 can be determined from the image data alone, the image data may be used as is. The condition can be, for example, an evaluation item related to the animal welfare condition, lameness, walking, standing, lying down, posture, feeding, water intake, body surface, etc., and can be a condition that can be observed regardless of location. The position can be identified, for example, by performing image analysis, calculations, etc. based on the position information of the condition position information acquisition devices 30A-30M themselves and angle information (e.g., shooting direction) as image data included in the condition position information. The position information can be coordinate information. The condition position identification unit 12 associates the identified condition information and position information. The state location specification unit 12 specifies the state and position of the livestock animal 2 at intervals, tracks the behavior of the livestock animal 2 based on the specified state or position, or the identification information of the state location information acquisition device 30A-30M that acquired the state location information, and associates the position information related to the tracked behavior of the livestock animal 2. The state location specification unit 12 may associate the position information and state information for the same livestock animal 2 for each time information and save it as state location management information (see FIG. 3), and may delete the state location management information after the linking process is performed by the identified state linking unit 14. The state location management information may also be associated with the identification information of the state location information acquisition device 30A-30M.

[0020] The behavior comparison unit 13 is a functional unit that compares (matches, collates) the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked by the identification position identification unit 11 for a predetermined time period with the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked by the state position identification unit 12 to determine whether the behaviors of the livestock animal 2 match (within a predetermined error range) (see FIGS. 1 and 5 ). When comparing the behaviors of the livestock animal 2, the behavior comparison unit 13 may perform mapping, scale adjustment, etc. to make it easier to compare the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked by the identification position identification unit 11 with the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked by the state position identification unit 12. Note that mapping, scale adjustment, etc. may be performed by the identification position identification unit 11 or the state position identification unit 12. When comparing the behaviors of the livestock animal 2, the behavior comparison unit 13 makes the comparison taking into consideration whether the livestock animal 2 is moving, and whether the direction, time, amount of movement, etc. of the movement are in line with the actual movement of the livestock animal 2.

[0021] The identification state linking unit 14 is a functional unit that links the individual identification information associated with the position information identified by the identification position specifying unit 11 with the status information associated with the corresponding position information identified by the status position specifying unit 12 when the behavior comparison unit 13 determines that the behaviors of the livestock animals 2 match (see FIG. 1 ). The identification state linking unit 14 links the individual identification information and the status information and stores them as identification state management information (see FIG. 4 ). The identification state management information may also link time information (e.g., time information related to the status information) and position information (e.g., position information related to the status information). Furthermore, the identification state management information may not only manage all information that has been linked, but may also manage only information that satisfies a predetermined condition (e.g., when the status has changed).

[0022] The identification position information acquisition devices 20A-20N are devices configured to acquire identification position information including the individual identification information of the livestock animal 2 and information capable of identifying the location of the livestock animal 2 (see FIG. 1). The identification position information acquisition devices 20A-20N are installed at predetermined locations in the livestock farming site. Here, as information capable of identifying the location of the livestock animal 2, if the location of the livestock animal 2 has already been identified, the location information of the livestock animal 2 can be used as is. If the location of the livestock animal 2 has not yet been identified, the location information of the identification position information acquisition devices 20A-20N themselves and reception intensity data when the identification position information acquisition devices 20A-20N receive information including individual identification information (information not including location information) can be used. The identification position information acquisition devices 20A-20N may acquire identification position information at intervals. The identification position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N may be, for example, a receiving device using a communication standard such as BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy: registered trademark) or UWB (Ultra Wide Band), an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) reader, or the like, but any configuration may be used as long as the device is capable of acquiring data that can identify the individual identification information and position 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.

[0023] If the identification position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N are receiving devices that use a predetermined standard, the identification position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N may receive a beacon signal (a signal including individual identification information) from a transmitter 3 attached to a livestock animal 2, and transmit to the individual information management device 10 identification position information that associates the individual identification information included in the received beacon signal, the position information of the receiving device itself, and the reception intensity data when the beacon signal was received.

[0024] In addition, when the identification position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N are receiving devices, they may receive individual identification information with position information from a transmitter 3 with a GPS receiver attached to the livestock animal 2, and transmit the received individual identification information with position information to the individual information management device 10 as identification position information.

[0025] In addition, if the identification position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N are RFID readers, the identification position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N may read individual identification information from an RFID tag (not shown) attached to the livestock animal 2, and transmit to the individual information management device 10 identification position information that associates the read individual identification information with the position information of the RFID reader and, if necessary, reception strength data when the individual identification information was read.

[0026] In addition, the identification position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N may be configured to acquire individual identification information of the livestock animal 2 and identification position information including information that can identify the position of the livestock animal 2 using an LF (Low Frequency) antenna, marker, code, etc.

[0027] The status and position information acquisition devices 30A-30M are devices configured to acquire status and position information capable of identifying the status and position of the livestock animals 2 (see FIG. 1). The status and position information acquisition devices 30A-30M are installed at predetermined locations in the livestock farming site. Image data or the like can be used as the status and position information, and may include the position information and angle information (e.g., the shooting direction) of the status and position information acquisition devices 30A-30M themselves. The status and position information acquisition devices 30A-30M can be cameras that capture images of predetermined positions. However, any device capable of identifying (measuring) the status and position of the livestock animals 2 can be used, including three-dimensional sensors, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), point cloud sensors, and the like. Furthermore, for example, an RGB (Red-Green-Blue) camera can be used in bright places, and a low-light camera, infrared camera, or other camera suitable for dark places can be used in dark places. Furthermore, the status and location information acquisition devices 30A to 30M may be, for example, scales capable of recording measurement times, which may be installed in multiple predetermined locations and may track the trajectory of individuals of the same weight to acquire their status (weight) and location (predetermined location). The status and location information acquisition devices 30A to 30M may acquire status and location information at intervals. The status and location information acquisition devices 30A to 30M transmit the acquired status and location information to the individual information management device 10.

[0028] The network 40 is an information and communication network that communicatively connects the individual information management device 10, the identification position information acquisition devices 20A to 20N, and the status position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M. For example, a communication network such as a PAN (Personal Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), MAN (Metropolitan Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), or GAN (Global Area Network) can be used as the network 40. The network 40 may include access points such as Wi-Fi and wireless LAN.

[0029] The operation of the individual information management system according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 6 is a sequence chart diagram schematically showing the operation of the individual information management system according to embodiment 1. Please refer to Fig. 1 for the configuration of the individual information management system.

[0030] First, the identification position information acquisition device (any of 20A to 20N) acquires and transmits at intervals the individual identification information of the livestock animal 2 and identification position information including information that can identify the location of the livestock animal 2 (step A1). The individual identification information can be acquired, for example, from a transmitter 3 attached to the livestock animal 2.

[0031] Next, the status and position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M acquire and transmit status and position information at intervals that can identify the status and position of the livestock animal 2 (step A2). Step A2 is performed in parallel with step A1, and may be performed simultaneously with step A1, or before or after step A1.

[0032] Next, the identification position determination unit 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).

[0033] Next, the state and position identification unit 12 of the individual information management device 10 identifies the state and position of the livestock animal 2 (individual) based on the state and position information from the state and position information acquisition devices 30A to 30M, and tracks the behavior of the livestock animal 2 (step A4). Note that step A4 may be performed simultaneously with step A3, or may be performed before or after step A3.

[0034] Next, the behavior comparison unit 13 of the individual information management device 10 compares (matches, collates) the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked by the identification position specification unit 11 for a predetermined time with the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked by the state position specification unit 12 to determine whether the behaviors of the livestock animal 2 match (within a predetermined error range) (step A5). If the behaviors of the livestock animal 2 do not match, the process ends.

[0035] Next, when the behavior comparison unit 13 determines that the behavior of the livestock animal 2 matches, the identification state linking unit 14 of the individual information management device 10 links and saves the individual identification information associated with the position information identified by the identification position identification unit 11 and the status information associated with the corresponding position information identified by the status position identification unit 12 (step A6), and then terminates.

[0036] According to the first embodiment, the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked by the identification position specification unit 11 is compared with the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked by the condition position specification unit 12, so it is possible to specify and link the individual livestock animal 2 and its condition regardless of location, which can contribute to managing information related to animal welfare for each individual.

[0037] [Embodiment 2] An individual information management device according to embodiment 2 will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the individual information management device according to embodiment 2.

[0038] The individual information management device 10 is a device configured to manage various types of status information for each individual livestock animal 2. The individual information management device 10 includes a behavior comparison unit 13 and an identification status linking unit 14.

[0039] The behavior comparison unit 13 is configured to compare the behavior of the livestock animal 2 tracked for a predetermined time period 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 state position information from the state position information acquisition device 30, and thereby determine whether or not the behaviors of these livestock animals 2 match. The identification position information acquisition device 20 is configured to acquire identification position information including individual identification information of the livestock animal 2 and information that can identify the position of the livestock animal 2. The state position information acquisition device 30 is configured to acquire state position information that can identify the state and position of the livestock animal 2.

[0040] The identification status linking unit 14 is configured to link the individual identification information included in the identification position information with the status information identified based on the corresponding status position information when it is determined that the behavior of the livestock animal 2 matches.

[0041] According to the second embodiment, the behavior of the livestock animals 2 tracked based on the identification location information from the identification location information acquisition device 20 is compared with the behavior of the livestock animals tracked based on the status location information from the status location information acquisition device 30, so it is possible to identify and link individual livestock animals and their status regardless of location, which can contribute to managing information related to animal welfare for each individual animal.

[0042] The individual information management devices according to the first and second embodiments can be configured using so-called hardware resources (information processing devices, computers), and may use those having the configuration shown in Fig. 8. For example, the hardware resources 100 include a processor 101, a memory 102, a network interface 103, and the like, which are interconnected by an internal bus 104.

[0043] Note that the configuration shown in Fig. 8 is not intended to limit the hardware configuration of the hardware resource 100. The hardware resource 100 may include hardware (e.g., an input / output interface) that is not shown. Furthermore, the number of units, such as the processor 101, included in the device is not intended to be limited to the example shown in Fig. 8, and for example, multiple processors 101 may be included in the hardware resource 100. The processor 101 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or the like.

[0044] The memory 102 may be, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0045] The network interface 103 may be, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) card, a network adapter, a network interface card, or the like.

[0046] The functions of the hardware resource 100 are realized by the processing modules described above. The processing modules are realized, for example, by the processor 101 executing a program stored in the memory 102. The programs can be updated by downloading them over a network or by using a storage medium that stores the programs. Furthermore, the processing modules may be realized by semiconductor chips. In other words, it is sufficient that the functions performed by the processing modules can be realized by executing software on some kind of hardware.

[0047] Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0048] [Supplementary Note 1] An individual information management device comprising: a behavior comparison unit configured to determine whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification location information from an identification location information acquisition device that acquires identification location information including individual identification information of the livestock animal for a predetermined period of time and information that can identify the position of the livestock animal, with the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on state location information from a state location information acquisition device that acquires state location information that can identify the state and position of the livestock animal; and an identification state linking unit configured, when it is determined that the behavior of the livestock animal matches, to link the individual identification information included in the identification location information with the state information identified based on the corresponding state location information. [Supplementary Note 2] The individual information management device according to Supplementary Note 1, comprising an identification position specification unit configured to specify the individual identification information and the position of the livestock animal based on the identification position information from the identification position information acquisition device, and track behavior of the livestock animal based on the specified individual identification information or the position, or the identification information of the identification position information acquisition device that acquired the identification position information, and the behavior comparison unit is configured to make a comparison using the behavior of the livestock animal tracked by the identification position specification unit. [Supplementary Note 3] The individual information management device according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the identification position specification unit is configured to associate each piece of position information of the position related to the behavior of the tracked livestock animal, and the behavior comparison unit is configured to make a comparison using the position information associated by the identification position specification unit. [Supplementary Note 4] An individual information management device as described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, comprising: a state location determination unit configured to determine the state and location of the livestock animal based on the state location information from the state location information acquisition device, and track the behavior of the livestock animal based on the determined state or location, or on identification information of the state location information acquisition device that acquired the state location information; and a behavior comparison unit configured to compare using the behavior of the livestock animal tracked by the state location determination unit.[Supplementary Note 5] The individual information management device according to Supplementary Note 4, wherein the state position identification unit is configured to associate each piece of position information related to the behavior of the tracked livestock animal, and the behavior comparison unit is configured to make a comparison using the position information associated by the state position identification unit. [Supplementary Note 6] The individual information management device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the behavior comparison unit is configured to at least perform mapping when comparing the behaviors of the livestock animals so that the behavior of the livestock animals tracked based on the identification position information from the identification position information acquisition device or the behavior of the livestock animals tracked based on the state position information from the state position information acquisition device can be compared. [Supplementary Note 7] The individual information management device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the behavior comparison unit is configured to at least perform scale adjustment when comparing the behavior of the livestock animals so that the behavior of the livestock animals tracked based on the identification position information from the identification position information acquisition device or the behavior of the livestock animals tracked based on the state position information from the state position information acquisition device can be compared. [Supplementary Note 8] An individual information management system comprising: an identification position information acquisition device configured to acquire individual identification information of a livestock animal and identification position information including information capable of identifying the position of the livestock animal, a status position information acquisition device configured to acquire status position information capable of identifying the state and position of the livestock animal, and the individual information management device described in any one of Supplementary Note 1 to 7. [Supplementary Note 9] The individual information management system described in Supplementary Note 8, wherein the identification position information acquisition device is a receiving device that uses a predetermined communication standard and is configured to receive a beacon signal from a transmitter attached to the livestock animal, and to transmit to the individual information management device the identification position information that associates the individual identification information included in the received beacon signal, position information of the receiving device itself, and reception strength data when the beacon signal is received. [Supplementary Note 10] The individual information management system described in Supplementary Note 8, wherein the identification position information acquisition device is a receiving device that is configured to receive individual identification information with position information from a transmitter with a GPS receiver attached to the livestock animal, and to transmit the received individual identification information with position information to the individual information management device as the identification position information.[Supplementary Note 11] The individual information management system according to Supplementary Note 8, wherein the identification position information acquisition device is an RFID reader and is configured to read individual identification information from an RFID tag attached to the livestock animal and transmit the identification position information, which associates the read individual identification information with position information of the RFID reader, to the individual information management device. [Supplementary Note 12] The individual information management system according to any one of Supplementary Notes 8 to 11, wherein the status position information acquisition device is a camera, a three-dimensional sensor, a LiDAR, or a point cloud sensor that photographs a predetermined position. [Supplementary Note 13] An individual information management method for managing individual information using an individual information management device that manages various status information for each individual livestock animal, comprising: a step in which the individual information management device determines whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification location information from an identification location information acquisition device that acquires identification location information including individual identification information of the livestock animal and information that can identify the location of the livestock animal for a predetermined period of time with the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on status location information from a status location information acquisition device that acquires status location information that can identify the status and location of the livestock animal; and a step in which the individual information management device, when it is determined that the behavior of the livestock animal matches, links the individual identification information included in the identification location information with the status information identified based on the corresponding status location information.[Supplementary Note 14] A program that causes an individual information management device that manages various status information for each individual livestock animal to execute a process for managing individual information, the program causing the individual information management device to execute the following steps: determining whether the behavior of the livestock animal matches by comparing the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification location information from an identification location information acquisition device that acquires identification location information including individual identification information of the livestock animal and information that can identify the location of the livestock animal for a predetermined period of time with the behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on state location information from a state location information acquisition device that acquires state location information that can identify the state and location of the livestock animal; and linking the individual identification information included in the identification location information with the state information identified based on the corresponding state location information when it is determined that the behavior of the livestock animal matches.

[0049] The disclosures of the above-cited patent documents are incorporated herein by reference and may be used as the basis or part of the present invention, as necessary. Modifications and adjustments of the embodiments and examples are possible within the scope of the entire disclosure of the present invention (including the claims and drawings), and further based on the basic technical concepts thereof. Furthermore, various combinations and selections (or non-selections, as necessary) of the various disclosed elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment or example, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the scope of the entire disclosure of the present invention. In other words, the present invention naturally includes various modifications and alterations that would be possible by a person skilled in the art in accordance with the entire disclosure and technical concepts, including the claims and drawings. Furthermore, with regard to the numerical values ​​and numerical ranges described in this application, any intermediate values, lower values, and smaller ranges are deemed to be included, even if not explicitly stated. Furthermore, the disclosures of the above-cited documents, when used in part or in whole in combination with the disclosures herein as part of the disclosure of the present invention, are also deemed to be included in (belong to) the disclosures of this application, in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.

[0050] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Individual information management system 2 Livestock animal 3 Transmitter 10 Individual information management device 11 Identification position specification unit 12 State position specification unit 13 Behavior comparison unit 14 Identification state linking unit 20, 20A to 20N Identification position information acquisition device 30, 30A to 30M State position information acquisition device 40 Network 100 Hardware resource 101 Processor 102 Memory 103 Network interface 104 Internal bus

Claims

1. a behavior comparison unit configured to determine whether the first and second behaviors of the livestock animal match by comparing a first behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification location information from an identification location information acquisition device that acquires identification location information including individual identification information of the livestock animal and information that can identify the location of the livestock animal for a predetermined time period, with a second behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on state location information from a state location information acquisition device that acquires state location information that can identify the state and location of the livestock animal; an identification state linking unit configured to link the individual identification information included in the identification position information with status information identified based on the corresponding status position information when it is determined that the first and second behaviors of the livestock animal match; An individual information management device comprising:

2. an identification position specification unit configured to specify the individual identification information and the location of the livestock animal based on the identification position information from the identification position information acquisition device, and to track the behavior of the livestock animal based on the specified individual identification information or the location, or the identification information of the identification position information acquisition device that acquired the identification position information; The behavior comparison unit is configured to make a comparison using the behavior of the livestock animal tracked by the identification position specification unit. The individual information management device according to claim 1.

3. The identification position specifying unit is configured to associate each piece of position information related to the behavior of the tracked livestock animal, the behavior comparison unit is configured to make a comparison using the position information associated by the identification position specification unit; The individual information management device according to claim 2.

4. a state location specification unit configured to specify the state and location of the livestock animal based on the state location information from the state location information acquisition device, and to track the behavior of the livestock animal based on the specified state or location, or on identification information of the state location information acquisition device that acquired the state location information; The behavior comparison unit is configured to compare the behavior of the livestock animal tracked by the state location identification unit. The individual information management device according to claim 1 .

5. The state position identification unit is configured to associate each piece of position information related to the behavior of the tracked livestock animal, The behavior comparison unit is configured to make a comparison using the position information associated by the state position identification unit.

5. The individual information management device according to claim 4.

6. The behavior comparison unit is configured to at least perform mapping so that, when comparing the behaviors of the livestock animals, the behavior of the livestock animals tracked based on the identification position information from the identification position information acquisition device or the behavior of the livestock animals tracked based on the status position information from the status position information acquisition device can be compared. The individual information management device according to claim 1.

7. The behavior comparison unit is configured to at least perform scale adjustment when comparing the behaviors of the livestock animals so that the behavior of the livestock animals tracked based on the identification position information from the identification position information acquisition device or the behavior of the livestock animals tracked based on the state position information from the state position information acquisition device can be compared. The individual information management device according to claim 1.

8. an identification position information acquisition device configured to acquire individual identification information of livestock animals and identification position information including information capable of identifying the location of the livestock animals; a state location information acquisition device configured to acquire state location information capable of identifying the state and location of the livestock animal; An individual information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; An individual information management system comprising:

9. An individual information management method for managing individual information using an individual information management device that manages various status information for each individual livestock animal, comprising: a step in which the individual information management device compares a first behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification location information from an identification location information acquisition device that acquires identification location information including individual identification information of the livestock animal and information that can identify the location of the livestock animal for a predetermined time period, with a second behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on state location information from a state location information acquisition device that acquires state location information that can identify the state and location of the livestock animal, thereby determining whether the first and second behaviors of the livestock animal match; When the individual information management device determines that the first and second behaviors of the livestock animal are consistent, the individual identification information included in the identification position information is linked to status information identified based on the corresponding status position information; An individual information management method, including:

10. A program for causing an individual information management device that manages various status information for each individual livestock animal to execute a process for managing individual information, a step of determining whether the first and second behaviors of the livestock animal match by comparing a first behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on identification location information from an identification location information acquisition device that acquires identification location information including individual identification information of the livestock animal and information that can identify the location of the livestock animal for a predetermined period of time, with a second behavior of the livestock animal tracked based on state location information from a state location information acquisition device that acquires state location information that can identify the state and location of the livestock animal; When it is determined that the first and second behaviors of the livestock animal are consistent, linking the individual identification information included in the identification position information with status information identified based on the corresponding status position information; A program that causes the individual information management device to execute the above.