Animal Ear Tag With Off-Center Energy Storage for Stable Orientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing animal ear tags do not facilitate high-frequency radio communication with fixed stations and often lack stable orientation and good line-of-sight visibility.
Innovation Solution
An animal ear tag design with control circuitry, antenna, and energy storage, where the energy storage is offset from the symmetry axis, allowing for a compact and stable orientation in the ear, enabling high-frequency radio communication and improved visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the energy storage is positioned at the center of the housing, then the structural balance is improved, but the line-of-sight visibility and orientation stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The energy storage is deliberately positioned off-center in the housing, creating an asymmetric mass distribution. This asymmetric placement generates a specific center of gravity that provides stable orientation of the ear tag on the animal's ear, while also ensuring good line-of-sight visibility for RFID communication. The housing is designed with an L-profile cross-section to accommodate this asymmetric energy storage placement.
2Productivity
If the ear tag uses high-frequency radio communication, then the data transmission capability is improved, but the communication reliability deteriorates due to poor line-of-sight visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The ear tag is designed with a shaft member that extends through the animal's ear, creating a three-dimensional orientation. The housing with off-center energy storage positioning ensures that the antenna and communication interface are oriented in a specific spatial dimension that maximizes line-of-sight visibility to surrounding fixed stations, thereby improving communication reliability while maintaining high-frequency radio capability.
3Volume of moving object
If the ear tag housing is made compact, then the ease of attachment is improved, but the space for energy storage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed with an L-profile cross-section that optimizes space utilization. The energy storage is positioned in one leg of the L-profile while the communication interface and antenna are positioned in the other leg. This local differentiation of functional zones allows compact overall dimensions while providing sufficient space for both energy storage and communication components.
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
Ensures stable orientation and good line-of-sight visibility, facilitating high-frequency radio communication and enabling advanced animal monitoring through data generation and transmission.
Implementation Method 1
The antenna is configured to emit a wireless signal containing the generated data
Implementation Method 2
The energy storage is configured to provide electric energy to the control circuitry and the antenna
Data Source
Figure 1a~2b
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
An animal ear tag (100) contains control circuitry (230) for generating data relating to an animal (A) to which the animal ear tag (100) is attached. An antenna (240) in the tag (100) emits a wireless signal including the data, and an energy storage (130) provides electric energy to the control circuitry (230) and the antenna (240). The energy storage (130) is arranged in a first part (P1) of the animal ear tag (100) and the antenna (240) is arranged in a second part (P2) of the animal ear tag (100). When attached to the animal (A), the first and second parts (P1; P2) are interconnected via a shaft member (210) inserted through an ear (E) of the animal (A) in such a manner that the first part (P1) is located on a first side (S1) of the ear (E) and the second part (P2) is located on a second side (S2) of the ear (E). When the first and second parts (P1; P2) are interconnected, the energy storage (130) is located off-centered (dOFF) from a symmetry axis (C-S) of the shaft member (210). As a result, the tag (100) becomes relatively fixed in a well-defined orientation.