Livestock Sensor Tag Using Segmentation and Self-Service
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small farms face challenges in adopting technology for monitoring and managing livestock due to sparse connectivity, device compatibility with harsh environments, limited resources, and high maintenance requirements, which hinder efficient asset tracking and management.
Innovation Solution
A modular and scalable system using low-cost, easy-to-install RFID and Bluetooth mesh communication devices that can be powered efficiently, allowing for self-installation and operation using smartphones, with features like motion sensing and data transmission over low-power, long-interval cellular plans, eliminating the need for extensive infrastructure and complex setup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional monitoring systems are deployed on small farms, then monitoring capability is improved, but device complexity and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the monitoring function into two segments: a simple sensor tag attached to the animal and a smartphone application that handles complex processing. This segmentation allows the animal-worn component to remain simple while achieving reliable monitoring through the paired smartphone system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by using the farmer's existing smartphone as the processing unit. The sensor tag automatically pairs with nearby smartphones and transmits data without requiring manual configuration or complex setup, reducing maintenance burden while maintaining monitoring capability.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive monitoring features are added, then monitoring precision is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor tag uses periodic Bluetooth Low Energy transmissions instead of continuous communication. Data is collected at intervals and transmitted in batches, allowing comprehensive sensing capabilities while minimizing energy consumption through periodic rather than continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces high-power wireless transmission with low-power Bluetooth Low Energy communication. The smartphone handles the energy-intensive tasks of data processing and internet communication, allowing the animal-worn tag to maintain precise sensing capabilities with minimal energy consumption.
3Reliability
If devices are made more durable for harsh environments, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the vulnerable electronic components from the animal-worn tag and places them in the farmer's smartphone. The tag contains only simple, rugged sensors and a low-power Bluetooth radio, making it inherently durable. Complex processing, storage, and communication functions are taken out and handled by the protected smartphone.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor tag is designed as a simple, inexpensive, disposable component. If damaged or lost in harsh conditions, the cheap tag can be easily replaced without recovering data, as all information is continuously synchronized to the smartphone. This approach prioritizes simplicity and replaceability over making the tag itself highly durable and complex.
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
Enables cost-effective, user-friendly monitoring and management of livestock across small farms, ensuring device durability and reliability in harsh conditions, while minimizing resource and maintenance burdens, allowing for flexible expansion and adaptation to changing farm needs.
Implementation Method 1
providing a mount for a sensor tag, wherein the mount is adapted to be worn on a body part of an animal and comprises an RFID device, providing the sensor tag that is releasably connectable to the mount, exciting the RFID device, wherein the RFID device is programmed with data of an animal, and upon exciting the RFID device, such as with an application executing on a smartphone, configuring the sensor tag to be associated with the animal based on the data of the animal
Data Source
AI summary
Methods to conserve a sensor's power include training a model to predict a condition of an animal with a training data set, wherein the training data set comprises known outcomes associated with behavioral data and health data for a plurality of animals; sensing, with a sensor worn by a monitored animal, behavioral data and health data of the monitored animal; inputting the behavioral data and health data of the monitored animal into the model; predicting a condition of the monitored animal with the model based on the inputted behavioral data and health data; and configuring a parameter of the sensor associated with the monitored animal based on the predicted condition.