Adaptive Parasite Spray Control System Using Sensor Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solutions fail to effectively and adaptively control the risk of parasitic infestation in animals, particularly from biting insects like fleas, flies, mosquitoes, sandflies, and ticks, which can transmit serious diseases, as they do not adjust treatment dosages based on real-time environmental and animal-specific data.
Innovation Solution
A control system for an accessory that includes a refillable device with a nebulizer and sensors to measure environmental and animal data, calculating a risk of infestation and adjusting the spray mechanism's operating modes to optimize treatment application, using a determination unit to send control laws to the spray mechanism for adaptive treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a spray device is used to apply active agent continuously, then the protection against parasites is maintained, but the dosage cannot be adapted to real-time risk conditions leading to potential over-treatment or under-treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The spray mechanism transitions from static continuous operation to dynamic adaptive operation, where the control unit adjusts activation based on real-time sensor data about environmental conditions and animal behavior, enabling dosage adaptation without proportionally increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where sensors continuously monitor environmental parameters and animal responses, the control unit processes this information to calculate infestation risk, and the spray mechanism adjusts its operation accordingly, creating a closed-loop adaptive control system
2Reliability
If the spray mechanism is activated frequently to ensure parasite protection, then the effectiveness increases, but the consumption of active agent increases and may cause harmful side effects
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by activating the spray mechanism only when sensor data indicates elevated infestation risk, rather than continuous full activation, thereby reducing active agent consumption while maintaining adequate protection through targeted application during high-risk periods
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit dynamically changes operational parameters including activation frequency, duration, and intensity of spray based on environmental conditions and calculated risk levels, optimizing the balance between protection effectiveness and active agent consumption
3Measurement precision
If environmental sensors are added to monitor parasite risk factors, then the accuracy of infestation risk calculation improves, but the device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing system is segmented into multiple independent sensors monitoring different environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, wind speed), allowing the control unit to process individual sensor data streams separately and activate spray based on combined analysis, improving measurement precision while managing energy consumption through selective sensor activation
Solution Approach 2:
Sensors operate in periodic measurement cycles rather than continuous monitoring, with the control unit strategically activating sensors based on environmental conditions and animal behavior patterns, thereby achieving accurate infestation risk assessment while minimizing overall energy consumption of the sensing system
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a control system of an accessory for animals, wherein the accessory comprises: —a refillable device for spraying an active agent, the device comprising a container for the active agent and a nebulizer body with a controllable spray mechanism; —at least one sensor acquiring measurements relating to the animal wearing the accessory or to the environment thereof; and wherein said control system comprises: —a reception unit for receiving data including first data acquired by the at least one sensor; —a determination unit for calculating a risk of infestation of the animal by a parasite according to the data received and determining a control law of the spray mechanism according to the risk of infestation thus calculated, so as to obtain a determined control law; and—a transmission unit for sending the determined control law to the spray mechanism.