Implantable Estrous Sensor Rumen Monitoring Circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing estrous sensors face challenges in accurately distinguishing between estrus and weaning in cows due to similar behavioral patterns, and they often struggle with measuring electrical conductivity and temperature under varying environmental conditions, leading to reduced accuracy in estrus detection.
Innovation Solution
An estrous sensor with a large dynamic range that uses a circuit and operation method to stabilize the measurement of electrical conductivity and temperature, employing one or two sensing electrodes, and detecting resonance frequency shifts without varying the input signal frequency, allowing for robust and long-term monitoring of estrus in cows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensors are attached to the outside of livestock bodies to monitor biometric information, then estrus detection can be performed, but the sensors may be damaged by movement or collision, or lost when livestock bite each other
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is implanted inside the livestock body (specifically in the rumen) rather than being attached externally. This nesting approach protects the sensor from physical damage, movement-related dislodgement, and loss from animal interactions while still enabling continuous monitoring of biometric information for estrus detection
2Measurement precision
If behavioral patterns are monitored to detect estrus, then detection can be performed, but it is difficult to distinguish between estrus and weaning in weaned cows due to similar patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from monitoring only behavioral patterns (one dimension) to simultaneously monitoring multiple biometric parameters including body temperature, rumen temperature, and electrical conductivity (multiple dimensions). This multi-dimensional approach enables differentiation between estrus and weaning states, as each condition produces distinct patterns across the multiple measured parameters
3Measurement precision
If electrical conductivity and temperature are measured during estrus, then detection accuracy improves, but measurement stability decreases under varying environmental conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors multiple biometric parameters (body temperature, rumen temperature, electrical conductivity) and uses feedback from these combined measurements to determine estrus state. This multi-parameter feedback approach compensates for environmental variations, as changes in one parameter can be cross-validated against others, maintaining measurement stability while preserving detection accuracy
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
The sensor effectively detects estrus by providing stable and accurate measurements of electrical conductivity and temperature, reducing manufacturing costs and improving the correlation of measured values over time, thus enhancing the accuracy of estrus detection.
Implementation Method 1
a first channel interface circuit receiving a first channel sensing signal having a first sensing resonance frequency from a first sensing resonance circuit connected to a first electrode in contact with body fluid of the domestic animal within the body of the domestic animal
Implementation Method 2
a temperature measurement circuit detecting temperature within the body of the domestic animal
Data Source
AI summary
An estrous sensor, which is implanted into a body of a domestic animal and detects estrus of the domestic animal, includes a first channel interface circuit, an output circuit, a temperature measurement circuit, and determination circuit determines whether the domestic animal is estrous based on the electrical conductivity of the body fluid of the domestic animal and the temperature within the body of the domestic animal.