Livestock Gate Timing via Animal Speed and Direction Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated guidance systems for livestock often experience errors when multiple animals approach gates in quick succession, leading to incorrect identification and premature or late gate operation, causing animal discomfort and mix-ups.
Innovation Solution
The system uses a camera sensor to determine the direction and speed of an animal, allowing precise timing of gate opening and closing, minimizing errors by ensuring the gate touches the animal only once and adjusting for hesitations or changes in direction, with the gate opening immediately before the animal and closing shortly after it has passed through.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the gate is opened early to ensure the animal can pass through, then the animal can walk through without delay, but preceding animals may inadvertently walk through the gate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification of the animal using a reader before determining the precise gate opening moment. This preliminary action ensures the correct animal is identified and tracked, allowing the gate to open at the optimal moment without being too early (which would allow wrong animals through) or too late (which would delay the correct animal).
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the animal's position and movement using sensors and camera systems, providing real-time feedback to adjust the gate opening timing. This feedback mechanism ensures the gate opens at the precise moment when the identified animal reaches it, preventing both premature opening and delays.
2Reliability
If the gate is opened later to prevent preceding animals from entering, then accidental entry is prevented, but the animal to be guided may slip past the gate
Solution Approach 1:
The system identifies and tracks the target animal in advance using a reader and camera system, maintaining continuous monitoring of its position and speed. This preliminary tracking allows the system to predict when the animal will reach the gate and open it at the precise moment, preventing both accidental entry of wrong animals and the target animal slipping past.
Solution Approach 2:
The gate opening timing is dynamically adjusted based on real-time detection of the animal's position, speed, and direction. The system adapts the gate operation timing to match the actual movement characteristics of the identified animal, ensuring optimal timing that prevents both premature and delayed opening.
3Productivity
If multiple animals approach the gate in quick succession, then processing efficiency is maintained, but identification errors occur and subsequent animals may be accidentally separated
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the identification and tracking process by assigning unique identification to each animal via readers and maintaining separate tracking records for each animal in the camera system. This segmentation allows multiple animals to be processed in succession while maintaining accurate individual identification, preventing mix-ups even when animals approach quickly.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses continuous feedback from readers and camera systems to monitor each animal's approach, maintain accurate identification, and adjust gate timing for each animal individually. This real-time feedback ensures that even when multiple animals approach in quick succession, the system can distinguish between them and operate the gate correctly for each animal.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention is directed at a method for operating at least one gate (13) from for example a separation station (1), a feeding station or a milking station wherein the method comprises the following steps: a. determining the identity of an animal by means of reading an identification code from a identification label (6) carried by the animal at a first location which is distinct from a second location where the gate is present; b. following the animal which is identified in step a. by means of at least one sensor such as a camera (20) when the animal travels from the first location towards the gate; c. determining by means of the at least one sensor first data about the animal wherein the first data comprises information about the direction wherein the animal moves and information about the speed with which the animal moves; d. determining based on the first data obtained in step c. the moment on which the at least one gate is opened or started to being opened.