Vibratory Feeder Detector for Farrowing Warning Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing warning systems for animal farrowing operations struggle to accurately detect and prevent piglets from being crushed by their mother due to reliance on acoustical signals, which are inconsistent across different ages and breeds, and are compromised by the acoustics of enclosed confinement buildings.
Innovation Solution
A warning system that utilizes a vibratory detector to identify vibratory signals from feeders, coupled with a processor that analyzes these signals to determine possible and likely action events, and triggers a warning device to alert the mother without generating false positives through the use of false positive sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If acoustical sensors are used to detect feeder distress signals, then the system can detect potential crushing events, but the detection accuracy deteriorates due to inconsistent sounds across different piglet ages and breeds, and acoustical interference from confinement building structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces acoustical sensors with vibration sensors that detect mechanical vibrations transmitted through the concrete floor. This substitution eliminates the problems of acoustical signal inconsistency and building structure interference, as vibrations travel more reliably through the solid floor medium regardless of piglet age, breed, or building acoustics.
2Reliability
If warning devices provide frequent alerts to prevent feeder crushing, then the incidence of feeder mortality decreases, but false alarms increase which may condition the mother to ignore alerts
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates false positive sensors that provide feedback to verify detected events before triggering warnings. This feedback mechanism confirms that detected vibrations are genuine distress signals rather than false positives, ensuring alerts are only generated when truly necessary and preventing mother conditioning to ignore warnings.
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 system effectively reduces the incidence of feeder mortality by accurately detecting distress signals from feeders and minimizing false alarms, thereby reducing the risk of unnecessary stimulation that could condition the mother to ignore alerts.
Implementation Method 1
a vibratory detector for detecting a vibratory signal from one or more feeders
Data Source
AI summary
A detector for detecting a signal from one or more feeders. A processor is in communication with the can be configured with an artificial intelligence module and a library of pre-recorded action events and for comparing the signal with the library of pre-recorded action events and determining a likely action event. A warning device can be in communication with the processor for providing an output in response to the likely action event. At least one false positive sensor in communication with either the processor or the warning device or both of the processor and the warning device can be used for stopping the output from the warning device upon a predetermined condition.