A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ALLOCATING DEVICES

Abstract

A tag assignment system, comprising processing circuitry and communicatively connected to a data repository comprising records, each of which (i) is associated with a respective distinct animal from a plurality of animals, and (ii) includes a Unique Animal Identifier (UAI) associated with the respective distinct animal;The processing circuitry is configured to: substantially simultaneously: (i) obtain an ID read of an animal identification tag attached to a given animal from the animals of a first tag reading device, wherein the ID read includes the UAI that uniquely identifies the given animal, and (ii) obtain a tag read of a second tag attached to the given animal from a second tag reading device, the tag read including tag identification information that uniquely identifies the second tag; and cause the data repository to be updated to map the tag identification information to a given record from the records associated with the UAI.

Description

A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ALLOCATING DEVICES Technical field of the invention The subject matter disclosed in this document refers to the identification of animals and the assignment of devices to animals according to the results of animal identification. Background of the invention Animals can be tagged for various purposes. One purpose of tagging an animal is for identification. For example, an animal can be identified by means of an electronic identification (eID), such as an animal identification tag (also referred to herein as an “animal ID tag” or “ID tag”) attached to the animal to uniquely identify it. Of course, an eID tag is not the only way an animal can be identified. Animals can be identified additionally or alternatively using other systems, methods, or techniques, such as non-electronic identification tags, visual identification tags, camera-based identification systems, or identification marks directly on the animals (any of the latter three identifiers may include digits, letters, symbols, or any combination thereof, etc.).), readable barcodes, facial (or other body part) recognition, etc. Animal identification is also important for physiological monitoring. An animal can be monitored (and ideally also identified, for example, if the ID tag is also used for physiological monitoring) by means of an animal monitoring device such as a tag (also referred to herein as a “Monitoring Tag”) that is designed to collect information related to the animal’s activity and health status and optionally to transmit the information obtained wirelessly to an external server. Monitoring tags can be ear tags or other types of tags, such as collar tags.Therefore, it is naturally crucial to be able to identify the animal being monitored by means of the monitoring tag, associating the animal (using a method, device, identifier, or animal identification system) with the monitoring tag (using an identifier for the tag). In some cases, additional types of identification devices may be attached to an animal for various purposes. This includes, for example, tags that can indicate some characteristic or detail about the animal's health, origin, condition, etc. Such identification devices are also included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein. In an example of the identification systems discussed herein, current tagging systems are independent of each other and do not automatically associate with an animal identifier to which they are attached. The identification tag, or any other identifier as referred to herein, identifies the animal, but the system that identifies the animal does not read the monitoring tag and does not know how to associate the animal identifier (e.g., the identifier associated with the ID tag) with the monitoring tag identifier (associated with the monitoring tag). Because it is critical to be able to associate an animal identifier (e.g., the The identification (ML / t / zuzó / uuao / z) associated with the ID tag is linked to the monitoring tag identifier (associated with the monitoring tag). This association is done manually. However, such a manual assignment task is cumbersome, inefficient, ineffective, and in some cases even impossible, especially on large farms where hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of animals are raised. The task is further complicated by the fact that monitoring tags (or other devices for that purpose) are reusable and can be transferred from animal to animal. Therefore, there is a need in this field for a new method and system for reading, assigning, tracking and / or correlating animal identifiers. Brief description of the invention According to a first aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a tag assignment system is provided, comprising: one or more tag reading devices capable of reading tags attached to animals; and processing circuitry; wherein: the tag assignment system is communicatively connected to a data repository comprising one or more registers, each of the registers (i) being associated with a respective distinct animal from a plurality of animals, and (ii) including a unique animal identifier associated with the respective distinct animal; and the processing circuitry is configured to: substantially simultaneously: (i) obtain an ID read of an animal identification tag attached to a given animal from the animals of a first tag reading device of the tag reading devices,wherein the first tag reading device is operating in accordance with a first communication protocol, and the ID read includes at least the unique animal identifier that uniquely identifies the given animal, and (i) obtaining a tag read of a second tag, distinct from the animal identification tag, attached to the given animal from a second tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the second tag reading device is operating in accordance with a second communication protocol, and the tag read includes at least tag identification information that uniquely identifies the second tag attached to the given animal; and causing the data repository to be updated to map the tag identification information to a given record from the records associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal. In a modality of the subject matter disclosed in this document and / or modalities thereof, the processing circuitry is further configured to cause a second update of the data deposit to remove the tag identification information from a second record of the records, distinct from the given record, where the second record is not associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal. In one modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the second label is an animal monitoring label. In one modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol. In a modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities of the MA / t / zuzó / uuyo / z misma, the first label reading device is different from the second label reading device. In one modality of the subject matter disclosed in this document and / or modalities thereof, the animal identification tag is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and the first communication protocol is an RFID protocol. In one modality of the subject matter disclosed in this document and / or modalities thereof, the second label is an infrared (IR) label and the second communication protocol is an IR protocol. In a modality of the subject matter disclosed herein and / or modalities thereof, ID reading and tag reading are obtained when a given animal is located in a confined area, such that (a) the animal identification tag is within a first reading range of the first tag reading device, and (b) the second tag is within a second reading range of the second tag reading device. In one modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the confined area is within a feeding station. In one modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the confined area is inside a milking booth. In a modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the confined area is a portion of an animal passage that allows only one of the animals to be located within the confined area during obtaining the ID reading and the tag reading. In a modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the passage of animals is a classification gateway. In a modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the confined area is an area defined by the first reading range and the second reading range. In a modality of the subject matter disclosed herein and / or modalities thereof, the passage of animals comprises conductive rails, and wherein at least one of (a) the first tag reading device, or (b) the second tag reading device is isolated from the conductive rails. In a disclosed embodiment and / or embodiments thereof, the processing circuitry is further configured, after substantially simultaneous acquisition, to substantially simultaneously: (a) acquire a second ID read of the animal identification tag attached to the given animal from a third tag-reading device of the tag-reading devices, wherein the third tag-reading device is operating in accordance with the first communication protocol, and the second ID read includes at least the unique animal identifier that uniquely identifies the given animal, and (b) acquire a second tag read of the second tag attached to the given animal from a fourth tag-reading device of the tag-reading devices, wherein the fourth tag-reading device ML / t / zuzo / uuyo ! is operating in accordance with the second communication protocol, and the second tag read includes at least the tag identification information that uniquely identifies the second tag attached to the given animal; and wherein triggering the data repository update is done when the ID read is identical to the second ID read and the tag read is identical to the second tag read. In a modality of the subject matter disclosed herein and / or modalities thereof, (a) the first label reading device and the third label reading device are different label reading devices, and (b) the second label reading device and the fourth label reading device are different label reading devices. In a modality of the subject matter disclosed herein and / or modalities thereof, the second ID reading and the second tag reading are obtained when the given animal is located in a second confined area distinct from the confined area, such that (i) the animal identification tag is within a third reading range of the second animal identification tag reading device, and (ii) the animal monitoring tag is within a fourth reading range of the second animal monitoring tag reading device. In a modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the processing circuitry is also configured to alert a user when it fails to obtain the ID reading or the tag reading. According to a second aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a tag assignment method is provided, comprising substantially simultaneously: (i) obtaining an ID read of an animal identification tag attached to a given animal from a first tag reading device of one or more tag reading devices capable of reading tags attached to animals, wherein the first tag reading device is operating in accordance with a first communication protocol, and the ID read includes at least the unique animal identifier that uniquely identifies the given animal, and (ii) obtaining a tag read of a second tag, distinct from the animal identification tag, attached to the given animal from a second tag reading device of the tag reading devices,wherein the second tag-reading device is operating according to a second communication protocol, and the tag reading includes at least tag identification information that uniquely identifies the second tag attached to the given animal; and causing the updating of a data repository comprising one or more records, each of the records (i) being associated with a respective distinct animal from a plurality of animals, and (ii) including a unique animal identifier associated with the respective distinct animal, wherein the update includes assigning the tag identification information to a given record from the records associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal. In a modality of the subject matter disclosed herein and / or modalities thereof, the method further comprises causing a second update of the data deposit to remove the tag identification information from a second record of the records, other than the given ma / t / zuzó / uuao / z record, wherein the second record is not associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal. In one modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the second label is an animal monitoring label. In one modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol. In a modality of the subject matter disclosed in this document and / or modalities thereof, the first label reading device is different from the second label reading device. In one modality of the subject matter disclosed in this document and / or modalities thereof, the animal identification tag is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and the first communication protocol is an RFID protocol. In one modality of the subject matter disclosed in this document and / or modalities thereof, the second label is an infrared (IR) label and the second communication protocol is an IR protocol. In a modality of the subject matter disclosed herein and / or modalities thereof, ID reading and tag reading are obtained when a given animal is located in a confined area, such that (a) the animal identification tag is within a first reading range of the first tag reading device, and (b) the second tag is within a second reading range of the second tag reading device. In one modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the confined area is within a feeding station. In one modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the confined area is inside a milking booth. In a modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the confined area is a portion of an animal passage that allows only one of the animals to be located within the confined area during obtaining the ID reading and the tag reading. In a modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the passage of animals is a classification gateway. In a modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the confined area is an area defined by the first reading range and the second reading range. In a modality of the subject matter disclosed herein and / or modalities thereof, the passage of animals comprises conductive rails, and wherein at least one of (a) the first tag reading device, or (b) the second tag reading device is isolated from the conductive rails. In a disclosed embodiment and / or embodiments thereof, the method further comprises, after substantially simultaneous acquisition, (a) obtaining a second ID read of the animal identification tag attached to the given animal from a third tag-reading device of the tag-reading devices, wherein the third tag-reading device is operating in accordance with the first communication protocol, and the second ID read includes at least the unique animal identifier that uniquely identifies the given animal, and (b) obtaining a second tag read of the second tag attached to the given animal from a fourth tag-reading device of the tag-reading devices, wherein the fourth tag-reading device is operating in accordance with the second communication protocol,and the second tag read includes at least the tag identification information that uniquely identifies the second tag attached to the given animal; and wherein triggering the data repository update occurs when the ID read is identical to the second ID read and the tag read is identical to the second tag read. In a modality of the subject matter disclosed herein and / or modalities thereof, (a) the first label reading device and the third label reading device are different label reading devices, and (b) the second label reading device and the fourth label reading device are different label reading devices. In a modality of the subject matter disclosed herein and / or modalities thereof, the second ID reading and the second tag reading are obtained when the given animal is located in a second confined area distinct from the confined area, such that (i) the animal identification tag is within a third reading range of the second animal identification tag reading device, and (ii) the animal monitoring tag is within a fourth reading range of the second animal monitoring tag reading device. In a modality of the subject matter in this document disclosed and / or modalities thereof, the method also includes alerting a user when it fails to obtain the ID reading or the tag reading. According to a second aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, a non-transient, computer-readable storage medium is provided having computer-readable program code incorporated therein, the computer-readable program code being executable by at least one computer processing circuitry to carry out a method comprising substantially simultaneously: (i) obtaining an ID read from an animal identification tag attached to a given animal from a first tag-reading device of one or more tag-reading devices capable of reading tags attached to animals, wherein the first tag-reading device is operating in accordance with a first communication protocol, and the ID read includes at least the unique animal identifier that uniquely identifies the given animal,and (i) obtaining a tag read of a second tag, distinct from the animal identification tag, attached to the given animal from a second tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the second tag reading device is operating in accordance with a second communication protocol, and the tag read includes at least tag identification information that uniquely identifies the second attached tag, ML / t / zuzó / uuyo ! ¿ to the given animal; and cause the updating of a data repository comprising one or more records, each of the records (i) being associated with a respective distinct animal from a plurality of animals, and (ii) including a unique animal identifier associated with the respective distinct animal, wherein the updating includes assigning tag identification information to a given record from the records associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal. Brief description of the drawings In order to understand the subject matter disclosed in this document and to appreciate how it can be put into practice, the subject matter will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the exemplary device allocation system, in accordance with the subject matter disclosed in this document; Figure 2 is a block diagram that schematically illustrates an example of a device allocation system, in accordance with the subject matter disclosed in this document; Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a sequence of operations performed for device allocation, in accordance with the subject matter disclosed in this document; and Figure 4 is another flowchart that illustrates another optional part of the sequence of operations performed for device allocation, according to the subject matter disclosed herein. Detailed description of the invention The following detailed description sets forth numerous specifics to provide a complete understanding of the subject matter disclosed herein. However, it will be understood by those experienced in the field that the subject matter disclosed herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the subject matter disclosed herein. In the drawings and descriptions provided, identical reference numbers indicate those components that are common to different modalities or configurations. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as is evident from the following discussions, it is understood throughout this specification that discussions using terms such as “get,” “trigger,” “update,” “alert,” or similar, include the actions and / or processes of a computer that manipulate and / or transform data into other data, such data represented as physical quantities, for example, electronic quantities, and / or such data representing physical objects. The terms “computer,” “processor,” “processing circuitry,” and “controller” should be interpreted broadly to cover any type of electronic device with data processing capabilities, including, by way of non-limitation, a computer. ML / t / zuzo / uuyo ! What is a personal desktop / laptop, a server, a computing system, a communication device, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a smart TV, a processor (e.g., a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.), a group of multiple physical machines sharing the performance of various tasks, virtual servers co-resident on a single physical machine, any other electronic computing device, and / or any combination thereof. The operations described herein may be performed by means of a computer specially constructed for the desired purposes or by means of a general-purpose computer specially configured for the desired purposes by means of a computer program stored on a non-transient, computer-readable storage medium. The term “non-transient” is used herein to exclude transient propagation signals, but to otherwise include any volatile or non-volatile computer memory technology suitable for the application. As used herein, the phrases “for example,” “such as,” “as an example,” and variations thereof describe non-limiting modalities of the subject matter disclosed herein. Reference in the specification to “one instance,” “some instances,” “other instances,” or variations thereof means that a particular function, structure, or characteristic described in relation to the modality(ies) is included in at least one modality of the subject matter disclosed herein. Therefore, the occurrence of the phrases “one instance,” “some instances,” “other instances,” or variations thereof does not necessarily refer to the same modality(ies). It is noted that, unless specifically stated otherwise, certain characteristics of the subject matter disclosed herein, which are described, for clarity, in the context of separate forms, may also be provided in combination in a single form. Conversely, several characteristics of the subject matter disclosed herein, which are described, for brevity, in the context of a single form, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination. In the configurations of the subject matter disclosed herein, fewer, more, and / or different stages than those shown in Figures 3 and 4 may be executed. In the configurations of the subject matter disclosed herein, one or more of the stages illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 may be executed in a different order and / or one or more groups of stages may be executed simultaneously. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a general schematic of the system architecture according to one configuration of the subject matter disclosed herein. Each module in Figures 1 and 2 may be composed of any combination of software, hardware, and / or firmware that performs the functions as described and explained herein. The modules in Figures 1 and 2 may be centralized in one location or distributed across more than one location, as detailed herein.In other forms of the subject matter disclosed in this document, the system may comprise fewer, more, and / or different modules than those shown herein. ΜΛ / t / zuzó / uuyo fz figures 1 and 2. Any reference in the specification to a method must be applied by making the necessary changes to a system capable of executing the method and must be applied by making the necessary changes to a non-transient, computer-readable medium that stores instructions which, when executed by a computer, result in the execution of the method. Any reference in the specification to a system must be applied by making the necessary changes to a method that can be executed by means of the system and must be applied by making the necessary changes to a non-transient, computer-readable medium that stores instructions that can be executed by means of the system. Any reference in the specification to a non-transient computer-readable medium shall be applied by making the necessary changes to a system capable of executing the instructions stored on the non-transient computer-readable medium and shall be applied by making the necessary changes to a method that can be executed by means of a computer that reads the instructions stored on the non-transient computer-readable medium. With this in mind, attention is paid to Figure 1, a schematic illustration of the exemplary device allocation system, in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein. The illustration shows an animal 10. Although the animal 10 in the illustration is a cow, this is by no means limiting, and animal 10 can be any other animal (e.g., other types of cattle, pets, fish, livestock, etc.). Animal 10 has two devices attached to it: an identification (ID) device 12 (such as, but not limited to, an ID tag) and a monitoring device 14 (such as, but not limited to, a monitoring tag). As stated herein, the ID device 12 can be a tag that uniquely identifies animal 10.However, the ID device 12 may alternatively be another type of device used to identify animal 10 by any of the methods or systems described herein (including electronic identification, visual identification, camera-based identification, facial or body part recognition, barcodes, identification marks, etc.). When read by a suitable reading device, the ID device 12 returns a reading that includes at least one unique animal identifier, which uniquely identifies animal 10. When read by a suitable reading device (e.g., a tag reader), the monitoring device 14 returns a reading that includes monitoring device identification information, which uniquely identifies the animal monitoring device 14 attached to animal 10.It should be noted that additional and / or alternative devices can be attached to the animal, and ID device 12 and monitoring device 14 are provided as non-limiting examples. As discussed, animal 10 can be identified using various systems / devices / methods / techniques, including an ID tag, identification marks (e.g., digits, letters, symbols, or any combination thereof, etc.), readable barcodes, facial (or other body part) recognition, etc., and animal 10 can be physiologically monitored using various monitoring devices, including a monitoring tag, a bolus, etc. The assignment system may also include one or more reading devices 18. The reading devices 18 are capable of reading the devices attached to the animal 10, such as the ID device 12 and the monitoring device 14. When considering an example where two tags are attached to animal 10 (ID device 12 being an ID tag and monitoring device 14 being a monitoring tag), and assuming both tags operate according to a common tag reading or communication protocol / technique, a single reading device 18 can read both ID device 12 and monitoring device 14. For example, if both ID device 12 and monitoring device 14 are radio frequency (RF) tags, a single RF reading device can be used to read both tags. Similarly, if both ID device 12 and monitoring device 14 are infrared (IR) tags, a single IR reading device can be used to read both tags.It should be noted that when using a single reading device 18, there is a need to discriminate between a reading from the ID device 12 and a reading from the monitoring device 14. This can be achieved in various known ways, including, for example, having each tag designed and / or programmed to respond to a different stimulus from the reading device 18. When we look at another example, where there are still two tags attached to animal 10 (ID device 12 is an ID tag and monitoring device 14 is a monitoring tag), however, both tags operate according to a different communication or tag reading protocol / technique, each tag can be read by a different reading device 18 that operates according to its respective communication protocol. For example, if ID device 12 is an RF tag and monitoring device 14 is an IR tag, ID device 12 must be read by an RF reading device and monitoring device 14 must be read by an IR reading device.It should be noted that, in some cases, a single tag reader device 18 may be able to communicate with (or read) different tags that operate according to different communication protocols or reading techniques (i.e., such a tag reader device 18 has the ability to communicate with tags using multiple communication protocols, or reading techniques). In some cases, animal 10 can be identified without having an ID device 12 attached to it. An example is visual identification (e.g., facial or other body part recognition). In such cases, at least one of the reading devices 18 is a visual reading device, such as a camera, that captures an image based on the identified animal 10. In such cases, the monitoring device 14 can be an IR or RF tag, for example, and animal 10 is identified by visual identification while the monitoring device 14 is read by a device, or devices, that can read using the respective techniques or protocols. It should also be noted that, in some cases, one or more of the methods of ML / t / zuzó / uuyo / 4 Identification can be passive identification methods, such as passive tags. For example, the tags can be an imprint of a certain identifier on the animal 10, or they can be adhesive labels of a certain visual identifier attached to the animal, or they can be marks printed on the animal. In such cases, when the tags are visually identifiable (e.g., barcodes), the respective tag reading device 18 can be, for example, a camera capable of acquiring images in the spectrum of the visual tags. It should also be noted that the reading devices 18 must be positioned so that they can obtain readings that can be used to identify animal 10 (e.g., by reading an ID device 12, or by any other identification method and / or technique) and read the devices (e.g., tags) attached to only one animal at a time. Positioning the reading devices 18 where, due to their reading range, they can simultaneously read devices attached to more than one animal may lead to errors in device (e.g., tag) assignment. For example, if two cows are within the reading ranges of the reading devices 18, the reading devices 18 will not be able to distinguish between the devices (e.g., tags) on each cow. It should also be noted that the reading devices 18 must be positioned so that they can obtain readings that can be used to identify animal 10 (e.g., by reading an ID device 12, or by any other identification method and / or technique) and read the devices (e.g., tags) attached to only one animal at a time. Positioning the reading devices 18 where, due to their reading range, they can simultaneously read devices attached to more than one animal may lead to errors in device (e.g., tag) assignment. For example, if two cows are within the reading ranges of the reading devices 18, the reading devices 18 will not be able to distinguish between the devices (e.g., tags) on each cow. Accordingly, the reading devices 18 are positioned so that they can obtain readings that can be used to identify animal 10 (e.g., by reading an ID device 12, or by any other identification method and / or technique) and read the devices (e.g., tags) attached to animal 10 when the animal is within a confined area 16. The confined area 16 is an area in which only one cow can be located when the reading devices 18 read the devices (e.g., tags) attached to the animal. In some cases, the reading devices 18 obtain readings that can be used to identify animal 10 (either using an ID tag or by any other means) and read the devices (e.g., tags) attached to animal 10 substantially simultaneously. When "substantially simultaneously" is referred to herein, one option is that the readings are taken within an interval of a few seconds or even less than one second. Another option is that the readings are taken during a time interval during which animal 10 is expected to be located in the confined area 16 (e.g., if animal 10 is walking through an animal passage, and the readings are obtained while it is walking, the animal may be expected to be in the confined area). ML / t / zuzó / uuyo fz is located within confined area 16 for less than a few seconds). The confined area 16 may be, for example, at least part of the feeding station where a single animal is fed. Additionally, or alternatively, the confined area 16 may be at least part of the milking stall where a single animal is milked. Additionally, or alternatively, the confined area 16 may be a portion of an animal passage that allows only one animal to be located within the confined area 16 during the acquisition of readings that can be used to identify the animal 10 (for example, by reading an ID device 12, or by any other identification method and / or technique) and the reading of tags attached to the individual animal by means of reading devices 18. In some cases, the animal passage is a sorting gate. In some cases, the animal passageway includes conductive rails. In some cases, these conductive rails may pose a risk of interacting with or interfering with the operation of the reading devices 18. For example, the rails may act as an antenna that can conduct signals sent from the reading devices 18 to devices (e.g., tags) attached to animals outside the confined area 16, and / or signals sent from devices (e.g., tags) attached to animals outside the confined area 16 in response to excitation by the reading devices 18. Therefore, in some cases, the reading devices 18 may be isolated from the conductive rails, for example, using known methods and / or techniques. It should be noted that, in some cases, the confined area 16 may be limited to an area that covers the entire reading range of the reading devices 18, such that the tag reading devices cannot obtain readings that can be used to identify animals located outside the confined area 16 and / or tag readings that are located outside In some cases, as further detailed in this document, among other things with reference to Figure 4, animal 10 can be identified (e.g., by reading an ID device 12, or by any other method and / or technique of identification) and the devices (e.g., tags) attached to animal 10 can be read more than once, in order to verify that the identification and readings obtained are accurate.In such cases, such subsequent reading(s) can be done by means of the same reading devices 18, or can be done by means of additional reading devices (not shown in the figure) that are also positioned so that they can obtain readings that can be used to identify animal 10 (e.g., by reading an ID device 12, or by means of any other method and / or technique of identification) and read devices (e.g., tags) attached to animal 10 when animal 10 is within a confined area, which may be the same confined area 16 shown in the figure, or another confined area not shown in the figure (e.g., another section of the animal passage). Having described an example of part of the system implementation, attention is now drawn to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a block diagram that schematically illustrates an example of a device allocation system, in accordance with the subject matter disclosed in this document. ML / t / zuzo / uuyo / z According to the subject matter disclosed in this document, the device allocation system 100 comprises one or more reading devices 18, each of which is capable of reading one or more devices (e.g., tags) attached to the animal 10. Due to the fact that the animal 10 can have a plurality of devices attached to it, it can be seen that in those cases where two or more of the devices operate according to different communication or tag reading protocols / techniques, a plurality of reading devices 18 is required, such that the reading devices 18 include at least one reading device for each communication protocol / technique. As stated herein, one of the devices that can be attached to an animal 10 is an identification device 12 (e.g., an ID tag). In some cases, the animal 10 can be identified using non-tag-based devices and systems, as described herein, such as, but not limited to, facial (or other body part) recognition techniques. In such cases, one or more other devices can be attached to the animal 10, and its identification may not be tag-based (e.g., facial or other body part recognition). The device allocation system 100 may further comprise a processing circuitry 120. The processing circuitry 120 may be one or more processing units (e.g., central processing units), microprocessors, microcontrollers (e.g., microcontroller units (MCUs)), or any other computing device or module, including multiple and / or parallel and / or distributed processing units, adapted to process data independently or cooperatively, to control relevant resources of the device allocation system 100, and to enable operations related to the resources of the device allocation system 100. The device allocation system 100 may further comprise a network interface 110 (e.g., a network card, Wi-Fi client, Li-Fi client, 3G / 4G client, or any other component), which enables the device allocation system 100 to communicate over a network with various systems, such as a farm management system 140 in which animal records are maintained (as further detailed herein), etc. It should be noted that, in some cases, animal records are maintained within the device allocation system 100, and in such cases, the device allocation system 100 may optionally be a standalone system that does not need to communicate with an external farm management system 140. The processing circuitry 120 comprises a device allocation module 130 configured to carry out a device allocation process, as further detailed herein, among other things with reference to Figures 3 and 4. As stated in this document, one or more animal records are maintained in a data repository 160. The device allocation system 100 is communicatively connected to the data repository 160. The data repository 160 may be an internal data repository contained within the device allocation system 100; however, it may also be a separate data repository. ML / t / zuzo / uuyo / z external. In such cases, the data repository 160 may be part of a management system 140 (e.g., a farm management system), with which the device allocation system 100 can communicate (e.g., by means of its network interface 110). In such cases, when there is an external management system 140 to the device allocation system 100, it may comprise a network interface 150 (e.g., a network card, a Wi-Fi client, a Li-Fi client, a 3G / 4G client, or any other component) that enables the management system 140 to communicate over a network with various systems, such as the device allocation system 100. The management system 140 may further comprise, or be otherwise associated with, a data repository 160 (e.g., a database, storage system, memory including read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), or any other type of memory, etc.) configured to store data, which optionally includes, among other things, one or more animal records. Each animal record may be associated with a respective distinct animal and may include various types of information associated with it, including a unique animal identifier associated with the respective distinct animal, and optionally information identifying one or more devices attached to the animal 10, as further detailed herein. The data repository 160 may further be configured to enable the retrieval, updating, and / or deletion of the stored data.It should be noted that, in some cases, the data repository 160 may be distributed, while the management system 140 has access to the information stored in it, for example, through a wired or wireless network to which the management system 140 is able to connect (using its network interface 150). It should be noted, as indicated in this document, that in some cases data repository 160 is internal to the device allocation system 100. In other cases, data repository 160 may be contained within the devices themselves, so that, for example, one or more of the devices attached to an animal 10 may include information that identifies one or more other devices attached to the same animal 10, and / or information that identifies the animal 10 itself. For example, the identification device 12 attached to animal 10 may include a record comprising an identifier for the monitoring device 14 attached to the same animal 10. In such cases, those devices that include information identifying one or more other devices may be considered as containing their own data repository. Having described the various components of the device allocation system 100, attention is given to Figure 3, which shows a flowchart illustrating an example of a sequence of operations performed for device allocation, in accordance with the subject matter disclosed in this document. According to certain examples of the subject matter disclosed herein, the device allocation system 100 is configured to carry out a device allocation process 200, for example, using the label allocation module 130. For this purpose, ML / t / zuzó / uuyo / z The tag assignment system 100 is configured to obtain an animal identifier (e.g., by reading an ID device 12 such as an ID tag, or by using any other identification method and / or technique) and one or more readings from one or more readings obtained by the reading devices 18 from the devices (e.g., tags) attached to animal 10 (block 210). In some modalities, obtaining the animal identifier and the readings obtained by the reading devices 18 from the devices (e.g., tags) attached to the animal 10 is carried out substantially simultaneously, as detailed with reference to Figure 1. The animal identifier may be an ID read from an animal identification device 12 (e.g., an ID tag) attached to a given animal 10, from a plurality of animals, from a reading device of the reading devices 18. In such cases, the ID read includes at least information that uniquely identifies the given animal 10. In other cases, the animal identifier may be obtained from any other device capable of uniquely identifying an animal 10 (e.g., using facial recognition methods and / or techniques). Such one or more readings obtained in block 210 may include a device reading from a device, other than the animal identification device 12, attached to the given animal 10 (for example, an animal monitoring device 14 such as a monitoring tag). The device reading may be obtained from one or more reading devices 18. In such cases, the device reading includes at least device identification information that uniquely identifies the device (for example, the monitoring device 14) attached to the given animal 10. As stated herein, if two devices are attached to animal 10 (e.g., ID device 12 and monitoring device 14), and assuming both devices operate according to a common communication protocol, a single reading device 18 can read both devices (while using known techniques to differentiate between the readings, as detailed herein with reference to Figure 1). However, if two devices are attached to animal 10 (e.g., ID device 12 and monitoring device 14), but both devices operate according to different communication protocols, each device must be read by a different reading device 18 operating according to its respective communication protocol (as detailed herein with reference to Figure 1). As indicated in this document, it should be noted that in some cases, the ID reading and device reading are obtained when the given animal 10 is located in a confined area 16 as defined with reference to Figure 1. In some cases, the Device Allocation System 100 may be configured to check for failed readings (block 220), and if so, provide an alert to a Device Allocation System 100 user with an appropriate indication (block 230). It should be noted that a device read can fail for various reasons, including, for example, a device malfunction, a lost device (since in some cases devices, such as tags, can break and fall off), etc. ML / t / zuzó / uuyo ! ¿ The device assignment system 100 is further configured to trigger the updating of data repository 160 to assign device identification information to a given record from the records associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal 10 (block 240). In doing so, data repository 160 is automatically updated to indicate that the device identified by the device identification information is attached to the animal 10 that is identified by the obtained animal identifier. It should be noted that, in some cases, a device attached to animal 10 may be removed (for any reason) from another animal before being attached to animal 10. Because the device was attached to another animal, data store 160 may indicate that the device is assigned to that other animal. Consequently, the device allocation system 100 may be further configured to trigger another update of data store 160 to remove device identification information from a second record, distinct from the given record, where the second record is not associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal (block 250). It should be noted that, in some cases, all or part of the device allocation process 200 can be carried out by the management system 140, in cooperation with the label allocation system 100 or by itself. It should also be noted, with reference to Figure 2, that some blocks may be integrated into a consolidated block or may be broken down into a few blocks, and / or other blocks may be added. It should also be noted that while the flowchart is also described with reference to the system elements that perform it, this is by no means mandatory, and the blocks may be carried out by elements other than those described in this document. Turning to Figure 4, there is another flowchart that illustrates another optional part of the sequence of operations performed for the allocation of devices, according to the subject matter disclosed in this document. According to certain examples of the subject matter disclosed herein, as part of the device allocation process 200, after the completion of block 210 or block 220, the device allocation system 100 may be configured to again obtain a second animal identifier and one or more second readings from one or more of the reading devices 18 (block 310). The second animal identifier and the one or more second readings obtained in block 310 may be obtained from the same source (e.g., from the same reading devices 18) at different points in time, or from other sources (e.g., other reading devices) simultaneously or at different points in time. In some cases, obtaining the second identified animal and the second readings is carried out substantially simultaneously, as detailed with reference to Figure 1. The second animal identifier can be an ID read from an animal identification device 12 (e.g., an ID tag) attached to the given animal 10, from a tag reading device 18. In such cases, the second ID read includes at least ML / t / zuzó / uuao / z information that uniquely identifies the given animal 10. In other cases, the animal identifier can be obtained from any other device capable of uniquely identifying an animal 10 (e.g., using facial recognition methods and / or techniques). Such one or more readings obtained in block 310 include a second device read from the device attached to the given animal 10 that is not an animal identification device 12 (for example, an animal monitoring device 14, such as a monitoring tag). The second device read is obtained from one of the reading devices 18. In such cases, the second device read includes at least device identification information that uniquely identifies the second device attached to the given animal 10. As indicated in this document, it should be noted that, in some cases, the ID read and device read are obtained when the given animal 10 is located in the confined area 16 as defined with reference to Figure 1, or in another confined area (e.g., another part of the animal passage) that meets the same requirements as a confined area as defined with reference to Figure 1. After obtaining the information in block 310, the device allocation system 100 can be configured to verify if the readings match (block 320). That is, the device allocation system 100 is configured to verify that (a) the unique animal identifier included in the second ID read obtained in block 310 is identical to the unique animal identifier included in the ID read obtained in block 210, and (b) that the device identification information included in the second reads obtained in block 310 is identical to the device identification information included in the device reads obtained in block 210. In the event of a mismatch, the device assignment system 100 can be configured to take an action, such as notifying a user of the device assignment system 100, marking the animal as verified, etc. (block 330). If there is no mismatch, the device assignment process 200 can proceed to block 220 or 240, so that the data repository update is triggered only if there is a match between the reading values ​​(identical animal identifier and identical device identification information). It should be noted, with reference to Figure 4, that some blocks may be integrated into a consolidated block or may be broken down into a few blocks, and / or other blocks may be added. It should also be noted that while the flowchart is described with reference to the system elements that perform it, this is by no means mandatory, and the blocks may be carried out by elements other than those described in this document. It should be understood that the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited in its application to the details set forth in the description contained herein or illustrated in the drawings. The subject matter disclosed herein is susceptible to other modalities and can be practiced in various ways. Therefore, it should be understood that the MA / t / zuzó / uuao / z The phraseology and terminology employed herein are for descriptive purposes and should not be considered exhaustive. As such, those experienced in the subject matter will appreciate that the concept upon which this disclosure is based can readily be used as a foundation for designing other structures, methods, and systems to accomplish the various purposes of the subject matter disclosed herein. It is also understood that the system, in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein, can be implemented, at least partially, as a suitably programmed computer. Likewise, the subject matter disclosed herein includes a computer program that is read by a computer to execute the disclosed methods. The subject matter disclosed herein also includes machine-readable memory that tangibly incorporates a program of instructions executable by the machine to execute the disclosed methods.

Claims

1. A tag assignment system, comprising: one or more tag reading devices capable of reading tags attached to animals; and processing circuitry; wherein: (a) the tag assignment system is communicatively connected to a data repository comprising one or more registers, each register (i) being associated with a respective distinct animal from a plurality of animals, and (ii) including a unique animal identifier associated with the respective distinct animal; and (b) the processing circuitry is configured to: substantially simultaneously: (i) obtain an ID read of an animal identification tag attached to a given animal from a first tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the first tag reading device is operating in accordance with a first communication protocol,and the ID read includes at least the unique animal identifier that uniquely identifies the given animal, and (i) obtaining a tag read of a second tag, other than the animal identification tag, attached to the given animal from a second tag-reading device of the tag-reading devices, wherein the second tag-reading device is operating in accordance with a second communication protocol, and the tag read includes at least tag identification information that uniquely identifies the second tag attached to the given animal; and after substantially simultaneous obtaining, substantially simultaneously: (a) obtaining a second ID read of the animal identification tag attached to the given animal from a third tag-reading device of the tag-reading devices,wherein the third tag reading device is operating in accordance with the first communication protocol, and the second ID read includes at least the unique animal identifier that uniquely identifies the given animal, and (b) obtaining a second tag read of the second tag attached to the given animal from a fourth tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the fourth tag reading device is operating in accordance with the second communication protocol, and the second tag read includes at least the tag identification information that uniquely identifies the second tag attached to the given animal; and where the ID read is identical to the second ID read and the tag read is identical to the second tag read,trigger the update of the data repository to assign tag identification information to a given record from the records associated with the given animal's unique identifier.

2. The tag assignment system according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause a second update of the data repository to remove the tag identification information from a second record of the ML / t / zuzó / uuao / z records, distinct from the given record, wherein the second record is not associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal.

3. The tag assignment system according to claim 1, wherein the second tag is an animal monitoring tag.

4. The label assignment system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol.

5. The label assignment system according to claim 1, wherein the first label reading device is different from the second label reading device.

6. The tag assignment system according to claim 1, wherein the animal identification tag is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and the first communication protocol is an RFID protocol.

7. The label assignment system according to claim 1, wherein the second label is an infrared (IR) label and the second communication protocol is an IR protocol.

8. The tag assignment system according to claim 1, wherein the ID read and the tag read are obtained when a given animal is located in a confined area, such that (a) the animal identification tag is within a first reading range of the first tag reading device, and (b) the second tag is within a second reading range of the second tag reading device.

9. The label assignment system according to claim 8, wherein the confined area is within a feeding station.

10. The label assignment system according to claim 8, wherein the confined area is within a milking booth.

11. The tag assignment system according to claim 8, wherein the confined area is a portion of an animal passage that allows only one of the animals to be located within the confined area during obtaining the ID read and the tag read.

12. The label assignment system according to claim 8, wherein the animal passage is a sorting gate.

13. The label assignment system according to claim 8, wherein the confined area is an area defined by the first read range and the second read range.

14. The tag assignment system according to claim 8, wherein the animal passage comprises conductive rails, and wherein at least one of (a) the first tag reading device, or (b) the second tag reading device is isolated from the conductive rails.

15. The label assignment system according to claim 14, wherein (a) the first label reading device and the third label reading device are different label reading devices, and (b) the second label reading device and the fourth label reading device are different label reading devices.

16. The tag assignment system according to claim 14, wherein the second ID read and the second tag read are obtained when the given animal is located in a second confined area distinct from the confined area, such that (i) the animal identification tag is within a third reading range of the second animal identification tag reading device, and (ii) the animal monitoring tag is within a fourth reading range of the second animal monitoring tag reading device.

17. The label assignment system according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to alert a user upon failure to obtain the ID read or the label read.

18. A tag assignment method comprising substantially simultaneously: (i) obtaining an ID read of an animal identification tag attached to a given animal from a first tag reading device of one or more tag reading devices capable of reading tags attached to animals, wherein the first tag reading device is operating in accordance with a first communication protocol, and the ID read includes at least the unique animal identifier that uniquely identifies the given animal, and (ii) obtaining a tag read of a second tag, distinct from the animal identification tag, attached to the given animal from a second tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the second tag reading device is operating in accordance with a second communication protocol,and the tag read includes at least tag identification information that uniquely identifies the second tag attached to the given animal; and after substantially simultaneous obtaining, substantially simultaneously: (a) obtaining a second ID read of the animal identification tag attached to the given animal from a third tag-reading device of the tag-reading devices, wherein the third tag-reading device is operating in accordance with the first communication protocol, and the second ID read includes at least the unique animal identifier that uniquely identifies the given animal, and (b) obtaining a second tag read of the second tag attached to the given animal from a fourth tag-reading device of the tag-reading devices, wherein the fourth tag-reading device is operating in accordance with the second communication protocol,and the second tag read includes at least the tag identification information that uniquely identifies the second tag attached to the given animal; and when the ID read is identical to the second ID read and the tag read is identical to the second tag read, causing the update of a data repository comprising one or more records, each of the records (i) being associated with a respective distinct animal from a plurality of animals, and (ii) including a unique animal identifier associated with the respective distinct animal, wherein the update includes assigning the tag identification information to a given record from the records associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal.

19. The method of assigning labels according to claim 18, further comprising causing a second update of the data repository to remove the label identification information from a second record of the records, distinct from the given record, wherein the second record is not associated with the unique animal identifier of the given animal.

20. The method of assigning labels according to claim 18, wherein the second label is an animal monitoring label.

21. The label assignment method according to claim 18, wherein the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol.

22. The label assignment method according to claim 18, wherein the first label reading device is different from the second label reading device.

23. The tag assignment method according to claim 18, wherein the animal identification tag is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and the first communication protocol is an RFID protocol.

24. The label assignment method according to claim 18, wherein the second label is an infrared (IR) label and the second communication protocol is an IR protocol.

25. The tag assignment method according to claim 18, wherein the ID read and the tag read are obtained when a given animal is located in a confined area, such that (a) the animal identification tag is within a first reading range of the first tag reading device, and (b) the second tag is within a second reading range of the second tag reading device.

26. The label assignment method according to claim 25, wherein the confined area is within a feeding station.

27. The label assignment method according to claim 25, wherein the confined area is within a milking booth.

28. The tag assignment method according to claim 25, wherein the confined area is a portion of an animal passage that allows only one of the animals to be located within the confined area during obtaining the ID read and the tag read.

29. The label assignment method according to claim 25, wherein the animal passage is a sorting gate.

30. The label assignment method according to claim 25, wherein the confined area is an area defined by the first read range and the second read range.

31. The tag assignment method according to claim 25, wherein the animal passage comprises conductive rails, and wherein at least one of (a) the first tag reading device, or (b) the second tag reading device is isolated from the conductive rails.

32. The label assignment method according to claim 18, wherein (a) the first label reading device and the third label reading device are different label reading devices, and (b) the second label reading device and the fourth label reading device are different label reading devices.

33. The tag assignment method according to claim 18, wherein the second ID read and the second tag read are obtained when the given animal is located in a second confined area distinct from the confined area, such that (i) the animal identification tag is within a third reading range of the second animal identification tag reading device, and (ii) the animal monitoring tag is within a fourth reading range of the second animal monitoring tag reading device.

34. The label assignment method according to claim 18, further comprising alerting a user when the ID read or label read is not obtained.

35. A non-transient, computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code incorporated therein, the computer-readable program code being executable by at least one computer processing circuitry to carry out a method comprising substantially simultaneously: (i) obtaining an ID read from an animal identification tag attached to a given animal from a first tag-reading device of one or more tag-reading devices capable of reading tags attached to animals, wherein the first tag-reading device is operating in accordance with a first communication protocol, and the ID read includes at least the unique animal identifier that uniquely identifies the given animal, and (ii) obtaining a tag read from a second tag, distinct from the animal identification tag,attached to the given animal by a second tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the second tag reading device is operating in accordance with a second communication protocol, and the tag reading includes at least tag identification information that uniquely identifies the second tag attached to the given animal; and after substantially simultaneous obtaining, substantially simultaneously: (a) obtaining a second ID reading of the animal identification tag attached to the given animal from a third tag reading device of the tag reading devices, wherein the third tag reading device is operating in accordance with the first communication protocol, and the second ID reading includes at least the unique animal identifier that uniquely identifies the given animal,and (b) obtaining a second tag read of the second tag attached to the given animal from a fourth tag-reading device of the tag-reading devices, wherein the fourth tag-reading device is operating in accordance with the second communication protocol, and the second tag read includes at least the tag identification information that uniquely identifies the second tag attached to the given animal; and when the ID read is identical to the second ID read and the tag read is identical to the second tag read, causing the updating of a data repository comprising one or more records, each of the records (i) being associated with a respective distinct animal from a plurality of animals, and (ii) including a unique animal identifier associated with the respective distinct animal,where the update includes assigning tag identification information to a given record from the records associated with the given animal's unique identifier.

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