Animal Tracking RTLS Trajectory Reconstruction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) for animal tracking in barns suffer from reduced precision due to signal interference, reflections, and temporary blockages, leading to unreliable positioning and tracking, especially when multiple signals are lost or incomplete.
Innovation Solution
A system that determines the walked distance of animals by using tags with radio transmitters that send signals at regular intervals, received by multiple anchors in the barn. The system includes a processing controller and database that store historical trajectories, allowing for the estimation of walked trajectories even with gaps in data, by inserting replacement distance data based on historical patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If RTLS positioning systems are used to track animals in barns, then animal location can be determined, but positioning precision deteriorates due to signal interference, reflections, and blockages
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and stores expected trajectory segments and distance values before signal loss occurs. When signals are lost, these pre-stored values are immediately used to maintain continuous tracking without interruption, resolving the contradiction by having corrective measures ready in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates virtual copies of trajectory data by storing historical trajectory segments and distance information in a database. When real signal data is lost or corrupted, these copied historical data representations are used to reconstruct the missing information, maintaining positioning precision despite signal reliability issues.
2Measurement precision
If signal transmission frequency is increased to improve positioning accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but signal loss and interference increase due to more transmission opportunities for blockages
Solution Approach 1:
The system cushions against potential signal loss by pre-storing trajectory segments and distance data in the database before signal interruption occurs. This protective measure ensures that even if multiple signals are lost, the system has backup information ready to maintain positioning accuracy without being affected by the increased transmission frequency's vulnerability to blockages.
3Reliability
If historical trajectories are stored and used for reconstruction, then tracking reliability improves under signal loss, but system complexity increases due to database and processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential elements needed for trajectory reconstruction - specifically trajectory segments and distance values - and stores them in the database. By taking out only these critical components rather than storing complete raw data, the system achieves reliable tracking under signal loss while minimizing the complexity burden of data storage and processing.
4Measurement precision
If interpolation is used to fill single signal gaps, then positioning can be maintained, but reliable positioning fails when multiple signals are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple data sources - real-time signal data, pre-stored historical trajectory segments, and calculated distance values - to reconstruct complete positioning information. This combination approach allows the system to handle both single signal gaps through interpolation and multiple signal losses through historical data retrieval, maintaining both positioning continuity and reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables robust and precise estimation of animal movement, reconstructing trajectories with high accuracy even when signals are blocked or incomplete, thereby improving the reliability of animal tracking and detection of exception animals.
Implementation Method 1
The tag comprises a processing device, a radio transmitter and a memory. The processing device is configured to transmit a radio signal via the radio transmitter
Implementation Method 2
The receivers may determine direction, angle of arrival and/ or time delay of the received signals and forward this information to a positioning controller
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4A~4B
AI summary
System (100) for determining a respective walked distance of animals (101, 102, 103) in a barn (200) during a predetermined time period. The system (100) comprises a Real-Time Location System (110, 120a, 120b, 120c, 130), a database (140) storing historical trajectories (430) of the animals (101, 102, 103) and a processing controller (150). The processing controller (150) is configured to determine the walked distance of the animal (101) by es-tablishing a walked trajectory (450) based on obtained data entities (301), and store the trajectory (450) in the database (140) associated with the animal (101); or detecting a gap (420) of missing or incomplete data entities (301) among the obtained data entities (301); 1and establish the trajectory (450) by inserting replacement distance data in the gap (420), based on historical trajectories (430) extracted from the database (140) and store the es-tablished trajectory (450) in the database (140).