Smart Gate Control for Animal Circulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional animal guiding systems in farms often result in traffic jams and inefficient movement due to animals blocking intersections and not following conventional traffic patterns, leading to stress and noise, which negatively impacts animal well-being and farming efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A control arrangement featuring smart gate arrangements with animal identifiers and interconnected transit areas that allow animals to circulate in a circular or oval path, enabling selective guidance to different operating areas without crossing intersections, thereby reducing congestion and stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional traffic patterns with intersections are used for animal movement, then animals can reach different operating areas, but traffic jams occur and animal wellbeing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a roundabout-based arrangement where animals move along circular, elliptic, or oval shaped paths instead of conventional intersecting roads. This curved path design eliminates intersections and animal blocking problems while maintaining efficient movement to different operating areas such as feeding areas and milking areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides animal traffic into separate circulating paths with multiple smart gate arrangements positioned around the roundabout. Each smart gate arrangement has multiple exits that can be selectively opened based on animal identity, segmenting the traffic flow and preventing congestion at single points.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple exits are provided at each smart gate arrangement, then selective guidance to different operating areas is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each smart gate arrangement is designed as a multi-functional unit with an animal identifier, multiple exits, and control connectivity. This universal design allows the same gate structure to serve multiple operating areas and handle different animal routing scenarios, reducing the need for specialized structures at each location.
Solution Approach 2:
The control arrangement connects to animal identifiers to receive information about animal identity and automatically determines which exit to open. This feedback mechanism enables selective guidance without manual intervention, managing the complexity through automated decision-making based on animal-specific routing requirements.
3Productivity
If animals are required to follow controlled traffic patterns, then movement efficiency improves, but animal stress and noise increase
Solution Approach 1:
Animals voluntarily enter the roundabout-based arrangement and move around on their own without requiring herding or forced movement. The system provides the infrastructure and routing logic, but animals self-navigate the circular paths, reducing stress associated with conventional forced traffic patterns while maintaining efficient movement.
Data Source
AI summary
A control arrangement for controlling movement of animals, with at least two smart gate arrangements and a same number of enclosed transit areas, wherein smart gate arrangement includes an entrance through which animals can enter, an animal identifier identifies each animal entering the smart gate arrangement, and three separate exits, through which each animal can be selectively guided to exit the smart gate arrangement after having been identified, and wherein each transit area is provided with a first one of the exits of a first one of the smart gate arrangements and an entrance of a neighboring second one of the smart gate arrangements with an unobstructed pathway therebetween contained within the transit area, the plurality of enclosed transit areas being interconnected via the smart gate arrangements such that an animal can be guided through the at least two smart gate arrangements via the transit areas in a circulating manner.