RU2844465C1 - System and method of assigning devices - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: animal breeding.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to identification of animals and assignment of devices to animals in accordance with results of their identification. System for assigning identification labels to animals, comprising one or more label readers configured to read labels attached to the animals, and a processing circuit. System is communicatively connected to a data repository containing one or more records, and each of the records (i) is associated with a corresponding individual animal from a plurality of animals and (ii) includes a unique animal identifier associated with the corresponding individual animal. Processing circuit is configured to substantially simultaneously receive the reading of the animal identification ID tag attached to one animal of the animals from the first tag reader of the tag readers. First tag reader operates according to the first communication protocol, and the ID reading includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying said one animal. Also, the processing circuit is configured to receive a mark reading of the second mark, other than the animal identification mark attached to said one animal, from the second mark reader from the mark readers. Second tag reader operates according to a second communication protocol, and the tag reading includes at least tag identification information uniquely identifying a second tag attached to said one animal. In addition, the processing circuit is configured to receive, after substantially simultaneous reception, a second reading of the animal identification ID tag attached to said one animal from a third tag reader from the tag readers. Third tag reader operates according to the first communication protocol, and the second ID reading includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying said one animal. Also, the processing circuit is configured to receive a second mark reading of the second mark attached to said one animal from a fourth mark reader of the mark readers. Fourth tag reader operates according to a second communication protocol, and the second tag reading includes at least tag identification information uniquely identifying a second tag attached to said one animal. Processing circuit is also configured when reading the ID is identical to the second reading of the ID and the mark reading is identical to the second mark reading, cause the data repository to be updated to assign mark identification information to one of the records associated with the unique identifier of said one animal.

EFFECT: creation of a simpler method and system for reading, assigning, tracking and/or correlating an animal identifier.

35 cl, 4 dwg

Description

AREA OF TECHNOLOGY

The subject matter of the invention disclosed in the given application relates to the identification of animals and the assignment of devices to animals in accordance with the results of the identification of animals.

PRIOR ART

Animals may be tagged for a variety of purposes. One purpose for tagging animals is for identification purposes. For example, an animal may be identified by an electronic identification (eID), such as an animal identification tag (also referred to herein as: "animal ID tag" or "ID tag"), which is attached to it to uniquely identify the animal. Of course, an eID tag is not the only way an animal may be identified. Animals may additionally or alternatively be identified using other systems, methods, or techniques, such as non-electronic identification tags, visual identification tags, camera-based identification systems, identification tags directly on animals (any of the last three identifiers may include numbers, letters, symbols, or any combination thereof, etc.), scannable barcodes, facial (or other body part) recognition, etc. Animal identification is also important for its physiological monitoring. An animal can be tracked (and optionally also identified, for example in case the ID tag is also used for physiological monitoring) by means of an animal monitoring device, such as a tag (also referred to herein as a "monitoring tag"), which is designed to collect information related to the activity and health of the animal and, optionally, to transmit the obtained information wirelessly to an external server. The monitoring tags can be ear tags or other types of tags, such as neck tags. Thus, it is naturally important to be able to identify an animal that is tracked by a monitoring tag by associating the animal (using an animal identification method, device, identifier or system) with the monitoring tag (using its identifier). In some cases, additional types of identification devices can be attached to the animal for various purposes. Including, for example, tags that indicate some sign or detail of health, origin, status, etc. Such identification devices are also included in the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein.

In one example of the identification systems discussed in this document, current tagging systems are independent of each other and are not automatically associated with the identifier of the animal to which they are attached. The identification tag or any other identifier as defined in this document identifies the animal, but the system that identifies the animal does not read the monitoring tag and does not know how to associate the animal identifier (e.g., the identifier associated with the ID tag) with the identifier of the monitoring tag (associated with the monitoring tag). Due to the fact that it is important to be able to associate the animal identifier (e.g., the identifier associated with the ID tag) with the identifier of the monitoring tag (associated with the monitoring tag), such association is performed manually. However, such a manual assignment task is cumbersome, inefficient, and in some cases even impossible, especially on large farms that raise hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of animals. The task is made even more challenging by the fact that monitoring tags (or other devices for this purpose) are reusable and can be transferred from animal to animal.

Thus, there is a need in the given technical field for a new method and system for reading, assigning, tracking and/or correlating an animal identifier.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

According to a first aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, there is provided a tag assignment system comprising: one or more tag readers capable of reading tags attached to animals; and a processing circuit; wherein: the tag assignment system is communicatively coupled to a data repository comprising one or more records, each of the records (i) associated with a respective individual animal of a plurality of animals, and (ii) includes a unique animal identifier associated with the respective individual animal; and the processing circuit is configured to: substantially simultaneously: (i) receive a reading of an ID animal identification tag attached to a given animal of said animals from a first tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the first tag reader operates according to a first communication protocol, and the reading of the ID includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying the given animal, and (ii) receive a reading of a tag of a second tag, other than said animal identification tag, attached to the given animal, from a second tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the second tag reader operates according to a second communication protocol, and the reading of the tag includes at least identification information of the tag uniquely identifying the second tag attached to the given animal; and cause an update of the data repository to assign the identification information of the tag to a given record of the records associated with the unique identifier of the given animal.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or embodiments thereof, the processing circuit is further configured to cause a second update of the data repository to remove the identification information of the tag from a second record of records other than a specified record, wherein the second record is not associated with a unique identifier of a specified animal.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or embodiments thereof, the second tag is an animal monitoring tag.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or embodiments thereof, the first tag reader is different from the second tag reader.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the animal identification tag is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and the first communication protocol is an RFID protocol.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or embodiments thereof, the second tag is an infrared (IR) tag and the second communication protocol is an IR protocol.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the ID reading and the tag reading are obtained when a given animal is in a limited area such that (a) the animal identification tag is within a first reading area of a first tag reader, and (b) the second tag is within a second reading area of a second tag reader.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or embodiments thereof, the limited area is within a feeding station.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the limited area is within a milking compartment.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the restricted area is a portion of an animal passageway that allows only one of the animals to be in the restricted area at the time the ID reading is received and the tag reading is performed.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the animal passage is a sorting gate.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or embodiments thereof, the limited region is a region defined by a first reading region and a second reading region.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the animal passage comprises conductive guides, and wherein at least one of (a) the first tag reader or (b) the second tag reader is isolated from the conductive guides.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the processing circuit is further configured to, after substantially simultaneously receiving, substantially simultaneously: (a) receive a second reading of an ID tag of an animal identification attached to a given animal, from a third tag reader of said tag readers, wherein the third tag reader operates according to a first communication protocol, and the second reading of the ID includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying the given animal, and (b) receive a second reading of a tag of a second tag attached to a given animal, from a fourth tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the fourth tag reader operates according to a second communication protocol, and the second reading of the tag includes at least identification information of the tag uniquely identifying the second tag attached to the given animal; and wherein the data repository update is invoked when the ID read is identical to the second ID read and the label read is identical to the second label read.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, (a) the first tag reader and the third tag reader are different tag readers, and (b) the second tag reader and the fourth tag reader are different tag readers. In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the second ID reading and the second tag reading are obtained when a given animal is in a second limited area other than said limited area, such that (i) the animal identification tag is within a third reading area of the second animal identification tag reader, and (ii) the animal monitoring tag is within a fourth reading area of the second animal monitoring tag reader.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or embodiments thereof, the processing circuit is further configured to notify the user of a failure to obtain an ID read or a tag read.

According to a second aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, there is provided a method for assigning tags, comprising, substantially simultaneously: (i) receiving a reading of an ID animal identification tag attached to a given animal of animals from a first tag reader of one or more tag readers capable of reading tags attached to animals, wherein the first tag reader operates according to a first communication protocol, and the reading of the ID includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying the given animal, and (ii) receiving a reading of a second tag, other than the animal identification tag attached to the given animal, from a second tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the second tag reader operates according to a second communication protocol, and the reading of the tag includes at least identification information of the tag uniquely identifying the second tag attached to the given animal; and causing an update of a data repository containing one or more records, wherein each of the records (i) is associated with a corresponding individual animal of the plurality of animals and (ii) includes a unique animal identifier associated with the corresponding individual animal, wherein the update includes assigning identification information of a label to a given record of the records associated with the unique identifier of the given animal.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the method further comprises causing a second update of the data repository to remove the identification information of the tag from a second record from records other than the specified record, wherein the second record is not associated with a unique identifier of the specified animal.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the second tag is an animal monitoring tag.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or embodiments thereof, the first tag reader is different from the second tag reader.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the animal identification tag is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and the first communication protocol is an RFID protocol.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or embodiments thereof, the second tag is an IR tag and the second communication protocol is an IR protocol.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the ID reading and the tag reading are obtained when a given animal is in a limited area such that (a) the animal identification tag is within a first reading area of a first tag reader, and (b) the second tag is within a second reading area of a second tag reader.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the limited area is within a feeding station.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the limited area is within a milking compartment.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the restricted area is a portion of an animal passageway that allows only one of the animals to be in the restricted area at the time the ID reading is received and the tag reading is performed.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the animal passage is a sorting gate.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or embodiments thereof, the limited region is a region defined by a first reading region and a second reading region.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the animal passage comprises conductive guides, and wherein at least one of (a) the first tag reader or (b) the second tag reader is isolated from the conductive guides.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the method further comprises, after substantially simultaneously receiving, substantially simultaneously: (a) receiving a second reading of an ID animal identification tag attached to a given animal from a third tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the third tag reader operates in accordance with a first communication protocol, and the second ID reading includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying the given animal, and (b) receiving a second reading of a second tag attached to a given animal from a fourth tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the fourth tag reader operates in accordance with a second communication protocol, and the second tag reading includes at least tag identification information uniquely identifying a second tag attached to the given animal; and wherein the data repository update is invoked when the ID read is identical to the second ID read and the label read is identical to the second label read.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, (a) the first tag reader and the third tag reader are different tag readers, and (b) the second tag reader and the fourth tag reader are different tag readers.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the second ID reading and the second tag reading are obtained when a given animal is in a second limited area other than said limited area, such that (i) the animal identification tag is within a third reading area of the second animal identification tag reader, and (ii) the animal monitoring tag is within a fourth reading area of the second animal monitoring tag reader.

In one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein and/or its embodiments, the method further comprises notifying the user upon failure to obtain an ID read or a tag read.

According to a second aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium including having computer-readable program code embodied therein, wherein the computer-readable program code is executable by at least one processing circuit of a computer to perform a method comprising: substantially simultaneously: (i) receiving a reading of an animal identification tag ID attached to a given animal of animals from a first tag reader of one or more tag readers capable of reading tags attached to animals, wherein the first tag reader operates according to a first communication protocol, and the reading of the ID includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying the given animal, and (ii) receiving a reading of a second tag, other than the animal identification tag attached to the given animal, from a second tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the second tag reader operates according to a second communication protocol, and the reading of the tag includes at least tag identification information uniquely identifying a second tag attached to a given animal; and causing an update of a data repository comprising one or more records, each of the records (i) associated with a corresponding individual animal of a plurality of animals, and (ii) including a unique animal identifier associated with the corresponding individual animal, wherein the update includes assigning the tag identification information to a given record of the records associated with the unique identifier of the given animal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In order to understand the subject matter of the invention disclosed herein and how it may be carried out in practice, the subject matter of the invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an exemplary system for assigning devices in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein;

Fig. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating one example of a device assignment system in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein;

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating one example of a sequence of operations performed to assign devices in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein; and

Fig. 4 is another flow chart illustrating another optional portion of a flow chart performed to assign devices in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter disclosed herein. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the subject matter disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the subject matter disclosed herein.

In the drawings and descriptions provided, like reference numerals refer to components that are common to different embodiments or configurations.

Unless otherwise specifically stated, as is evident from the following description, it is to be understood that, throughout the description, the use of terms such as "receiving," "causing,"

"update", "notification" or the like, includes the action and/or processes of a computer that manipulate data and/or transform data into other data; said data is represented as physical quantities, such as electronic quantities, and/or said data is represented as physical objects. The terms "computer", "processor", "processing circuit" and "controller" should be understood in a broad sense to cover any kind of electronic device with data processing capabilities, including, by way of non-limiting example, a personal desktop/laptop computer, a server, a computing system, a communication device, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a smart TV, a processor (e.g., a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.), a group of a plurality of physical machines sharing the performance characteristics of various tasks, virtual servers located on a single physical machine, any other electronic computing device and/or any combination thereof.

The operations in accordance with the solutions set forth in this document may be performed by a computer specially designed for the desired purpose, or by a general-purpose computer specially configured for the desired purpose, by means of a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The term "non-transitory" is used herein to exclude temporary, propagating signals, but otherwise includes any volatile or non-volatile computer memory technology suitable for the application.

As used herein, the phrases "by way of example," "such as," "for example," and variations thereof describe non-limiting embodiments of the subject matter described herein. Reference in the specification to "one instance," "some instances," "other instances," or variations thereof means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment(s) is included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter described herein. Thus, the phrases "one instance," "some instances," "other instances," or variations thereof do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment(s).

It should be understood that, unless specifically stated otherwise, certain features of the subject matter disclosed herein that are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the subject matter disclosed herein that are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination.

In embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein, fewer, more, and/or different steps may be performed than those shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein, one or more of the steps illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 may be performed in a different order, and/or one or more groups of steps may be performed simultaneously. Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate a general diagram of a system architecture in accordance with an embodiment of the subject matter described herein. Each module in Figs. 1 and 2 may be composed of any combination of software, hardware, and/or firmware that performs the functions as defined and explained herein. The modules in Figs. 1 and 2 may be centralized in a single location or distributed across more than one location, as described in detail herein. In other embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein, the system may comprise fewer or more modules and/or different modules than those shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Any reference in a specification to a method shall apply mutatis mutandis to a system capable of performing the method, and shall apply mutatis mutandis to a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the method to be performed.

Any reference in the description to a system shall apply mutatis mutandis to a manner that can be performed by the system, and shall apply mutatis mutandis to a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that can be executed by the system.

Any reference in the description to a non-transitory machine-readable medium shall apply mutatis mutandis to a system capable of executing instructions stored on the non-transitory machine-readable medium, and shall apply mutatis mutandis to a method that can be performed by a computer that reads instructions stored on the non-transitory machine-readable medium.

With this in mind, reference is made to Fig. 1, which schematically illustrates an exemplary system for assigning devices in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein.

The illustration shows an animal 10. Although the animal 10 in the illustration is a cow, this is not limiting and the animal 10 may be any other animal (e.g., other types of cattle, pets, fish, farm animals, etc.). The animal 10 has two devices attached to it: an identification (ID) device 12 (such as, but not limited to, an ID tag) and a monitoring device 14 (such as, but not limited to, a monitoring tag). As described herein, the ID device 12 may be a tag that uniquely identifies the animal 10. However, the ID device 12 may alternatively be another type of device used to identify the animal 10 by any of the methods or systems described herein (including electronic identification, visual identification, camera-based identification, facial or body part recognition, barcode, identification tags, etc.). When read by a suitable reader, the identification device 12 returns a reading that includes at least a unique animal identifier that uniquely identifies the animal 10. When read by a suitable reader (e.g., a tag reader), the monitoring device 14 returns a reading that includes monitoring device identification information that uniquely identifies the animal monitoring device 14 attached to the animal 10. It should be noted that additional and/or alternative devices may be attached to the animal, and the ID device 12 and the monitoring device 14 are provided as non-limiting examples. As discussed, the animal 10 may be identified using various systems/devices/methods/techniques, including an ID tag, identification symbols (e.g., numbers, letters, symbols, or any combination thereof, etc.), scannable bar codes, facial (or other body part) recognition, etc., and that the animal 10 may be physiologically tracked using various monitoring devices, including a monitoring tag, a bolus, etc.

The destination system may further include one or more readers 18. The readers 18 are capable of reading devices attached to the animal 10, such as the ID device 12 and the monitoring device 14.

Considering an example in which two tags are attached to an animal 10 (the ID device 12 is the ID tag and the monitoring device 14 is the monitoring tag), and assuming that both tags operate in accordance with a common tag communication or reading protocol/method, a single reader 18 can read both the ID device 12 and the monitoring device 14. For example, if both the ID device 12 and

the monitoring device 14 are radio frequency (RF) tags, a single RF reader can be used to read both tags. Similarly, if both the ID device 12 and the monitoring device l4 are infrared (IR) tags, a single IR reader can be used to read both tags. It should be noted that when a single reader 18 is used, it is necessary to distinguish between reading from the ID device 12 and reading from the monitoring device 14. This can be achieved in various known ways, including, for example, that each tag is designed and/or programmed to respond to a different stimulus from the reader 18.

When considering another example, in which there are still two tags attached to the animal 10 (the ID device 12 is an ID tag, and the monitoring device 14 is a monitoring tag), but both tags operate in accordance with different protocols/methods of communication or reading the tags, each tag can be read by a different reader 18 operating in accordance with a corresponding communication protocol. For example, if the ID device 12 is an RF tag, and the monitoring device 14 is an IR tag, then the ID device 12 must be read by an RF reader, and the monitoring device 14 must be read by an IR reader. It should be noted that in some cases, one tag reader 18 may be able to communicate (or read) with different tags that operate in accordance with different communication protocols or reading methods (i.e., such a reader 18 has the ability to communicate with tags using several communication protocols or reading methods).

In some cases, the animal 10 can be identified without the ID device 12 attached to it. One example is visual identification (for example, recognition of a face or other body part). In such cases, at least one of the readers 18 is a visual reading device, such as a camera, which receives an image on the basis of which the animal 10 is identified. In such cases, the monitoring device 14 can be, for example, an IR or RF tag, and the animal 10 is identified by visual identification, while the monitoring device 14 is read by a device or devices that can read using appropriate methods or protocols.

In addition, it should be noted that in some cases, one or more identification methods may be passive identification methods, such as passive tags. For example, the tags may be a print of some identifier on the animal 10, or they may be stickers of some visual identifier attached to the animal, or they may be markings applied with paint to the animal. In such cases, when the tags are visually identifiable (for example, bar codes), the corresponding tag reader 18 may be, for example, a camera capable of receiving images in the spectrum of visual tags.

It should also be noted that the readers 18 should be arranged so that they can receive readings that can be used to identify the animal 10 (e.g. by reading the ID device 12 or any other identification method and/or technique) and read devices (e.g. tags) attached to one animal at a given time. Arranging the readers 18 in a position in which, due to their reading area, they can simultaneously read devices attached to more than one animal may lead to errors in assigning devices (e.g. tags). For example, if two cows are within the reading areas of the readers 18, the readers 18 are not able to distinguish between the devices (e.g. tags) on each cow.

It should also be noted that the readers 18 should be arranged so that they can receive readings that can be used to identify the animal 10 (for example, by reading the ID device 12 or any other identification method and/or technique) and read devices (for example, tags) attached to one animal at a given time. Arranging the readers 18 in a position in which, due to their reading area, they can simultaneously read devices attached to more than one animal may lead to errors in assigning devices (for example, tags). For example, if two cows are within the reading areas of the readers 18, the readers 18 are not able to distinguish between the devices (for example, tags) on each cow.

Accordingly, the readers 18 are arranged such that they can receive readings that can be used to identify the animal 10 (for example, by reading the ID device 12 or any other identification method and/or method) and read devices (for example, tags) attached to the animal 10 when the animal is within the limited area 16. The limited area 16 is an area where only one cow can be located when the readers 18 read devices (for example, tags) attached to the animal.

In some cases, the readers 18 receive readings that can be used to identify the animal 10 (using an ID tag or any other means) and read devices (e.g., tags) that are attached to the animal 10 substantially simultaneously. When referring here to substantially simultaneously, one option is that the readings are made over a period of several seconds or even less than one second. Another option is that the readings are made over a time frame during which the animal 10 is expected to be within the limited area 16 (e.g., if the animal 10 passes through an animal passage and readings are received as it passes, the animal 10 can be expected to be within the limited area 16 for less than a few seconds).

For example, the restricted area 16 may be at least a portion of a feeding station in which one animal receives feed, or, alternatively, the restricted area 16 may be at least a portion of a milking parlor in which one animal is milked. Additionally or alternatively, the restricted area 16 may be a portion of an animal passage that allows only one of the animals to be in the restricted area during the receipt of readings that can be used to identify the animal 10 (for example, by reading the ID device 12 or any other identification method and/or method), and readings of tags attached to one animal by the readers 18. In some cases, the animal passage is a sorting gate.

In some cases, the animal passage comprises conductive guides. In some cases, these conductive guides may create a risk of interacting with or interfering with the operation of the readers 18. For example, the guides may act as an antenna that can conduct signals sent from the readers 18 to devices (e.g., tags) attached to animals outside the limited area 16, and/or signals sent from devices (e.g., tags) attached to animals outside the limited area 16, in response to excitation by the readers 18. Thus, in some cases, the readers 18 may be isolated from the conductive guides, for example, using known methods and/or techniques.

It should be noted that, in some cases, the limited region 16 may be limited to a region that covers the entire reading area of the readers 18, so that the tag readers 18 cannot obtain readings that can be used to identify animals that are outside the limited region 16 and/or readings of tags that are outside it.

In some cases, as detailed below, inter alia with reference to Fig. 4, the animal 10 may be identified (e.g., by reading the ID device 12, or by any other identification method and/or technique), and the devices (e.g., tags) attached to the animal 10 may be read more than once to verify that the identification and the resulting readings are accurate. In such cases, such subsequent readings may be performed by the same readers 18, or they may be performed by additional readers (not shown in the drawing) that are arranged such that they can receive readings that can be used to identify the animal 10 (e.g. by reading the ID device 12 or by any other identification method and/or technique) and read devices (e.g. tags) attached to the animal 10 when the animal 10 is in a restricted area, which may be the same restricted area 16 shown in the drawing or another restricted area that is not shown in the drawing (e.g. another section of the animal passage).

After describing an example of a portion of the system deployment, reference is now made to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating one example of a device assignment system in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein.

In accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein, the device assignment system 100 comprises one or more readers 18, each of which has the ability to read one or more devices (e.g., tags) attached to the animal 10. Due to the fact that the animal 10 may have a plurality of devices attached to it, it can be understood that in cases where two or more devices operate in accordance with different protocols/methods of communication or reading tags, a plurality of readers 18 are required, such that the readers 18 include at least one reader for each protocol/method of communication.

As described herein, one of the devices that may be attached to the animal 10 is an identification device 12 (e.g., an ID tag). In some cases, the animal 10 may be identified using non-tag-based devices and systems as described herein, such as, but not limited to, face (or other body part) recognition methods. In such cases, one or more other devices may be attached to the animal 10, and their identification may be non-tag-based (e.g., face or other body part recognition).

The device assignment system 100 may further comprise a processing circuit 120. The processing circuit 120 may be one or more processing units (e.g., central processing units), microprocessors, microcontrollers (e.g., microcontroller units (MCU)) or any other computing devices or modules including a plurality of parallel and/or distributed processing units that are adapted to independently or jointly process data for managing the corresponding resources of the device assignment system 100 and for providing operations associated with the resources of the device assignment system 100.

The device assignment system 100 may further comprise a network interface 110 (e.g., a network card, a WiFi client, a LiFi client, a 3G/4G client, or any other component) allowing the device assignment system 100 to communicate over a network with various systems, such as a farm management system 140 that stores animal records (as described in detail herein), etc. It should be noted that in some cases, animal records are maintained in the device assignment system 100, and in such cases, the device assignment system 100 may optionally be a stand-alone system that does not need to communicate with an external farm management system 140.

The processing circuit 120 comprises a device assignment module 130 configured to perform a device assignment process as further detailed herein, including with reference to Figs. 3 and 4.

As described herein, one or more animal records are stored in a data repository 160. The device assignment system 100 is communicatively coupled to the data repository 160. The data repository 160 may be an internal data repository contained in the device assignment system 100, but it may also be an external data repository. In such cases, the data repository 160 may be part of a control system 1490 (e.g., a farm management system) with which the device assignment system 100 can communicate (e.g., via its network interface 110).

In cases where there is a control system 140 external to the device assignment system 100, it may comprise a network interface 150 (for example, a network card, a WiFi client, a LiFi client, a 3G/4G client, or any other component), allowing the control system 140 to communicate over a network with various systems, such as the device assignment system 100.

The control system 140 may further comprise or otherwise be associated with a data repository 160 (e.g., a database, a storage system, a memory, including read-only memory - ROM, random access memory - RAM or any other type of memory, etc.) configured to store data, optionally including, among other things, one or more animal records. Each animal record may be associated with a corresponding individual animal and may include various types of information associated with the animal, including a unique animal identifier associated with the corresponding individual animal, and optional information identifying one or more devices attached to the animal 10, as further detailed herein. The data repository 160 may be further configured to retrieve and/or update and/or delete the stored data. It should be noted that in some cases the data repository 160 may be distributed, with the control system 140 having access to the information stored thereon, for example, via a wired or wireless network with which the control system 140 is capable of connecting (using its network interface 150).

It should be noted, as indicated here, that in some cases, the data repository 160 is internal to the device assignment system 100. In other cases, the data repository 160 may be located within the devices themselves, such that, for example, one or more devices that are attached to an animal 10 may include information identifying one or more other devices attached to the same animal 10 and/or information identifying the animal 10 itself. For example, the identification device 12 that is attached to the animal 10 may include a record containing an identifier of the monitoring device 14 attached to the same animal 10. In these cases, those devices that include information identifying one or more other devices may be considered to include their own data repository.

After describing the various components of the device assignment system 100, reference is made to Fig. 3, which is a block diagram illustrating one example of a sequence of operations performed to assign a device in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein.

According to some examples of the subject matter disclosed herein, the device assignment system 100 is configured to perform the device assignment process 200, for example, using the tag assignment module 130. For this, the tag assignment system 100 is configured to receive an identifier of the animal (for example, by reading the ID device 12, such as an ID tag, or using any other identification method and/or method) and one or more readings from one or more readings received by the readers 18 from the devices (for example, tags) attached to the animal 10 (block 210).

In some cases, obtaining the animal identifier and the readings received by the readers 18 from devices (e.g., tags) attached to the animal 10 are performed substantially simultaneously, as described in detail with reference to Fig. 1.

The animal identifier may be a reading of the ID of the animal identification device 12 (e.g., an ID tag) attached to a given animal 10, from a plurality of animals, from a reader of the readers 18. In such cases, the reading of the ID includes at least information uniquely identifying the given animal 10. In other cases, the animal identifier may be obtained from any other device capable of uniquely identifying the animal 10 (e.g., using face recognition methods and/or techniques).

One or more readings obtained in block 210 may include a reading of a device other than the animal identification device 12 attached to the given animal 10 (e.g., the animal monitoring device 14, such as a monitoring tag). The reading of the device may be obtained from one of the readers 18. In such cases, the reading of the device includes at least device identification information uniquely identifying the device (e.g., the monitoring device 14) attached to the given animal 10.

As indicated here, in the case where two devices are attached to the animal 10 (for example, the ID device 12 and the monitoring device 14), and assuming that both devices operate in accordance with a common communication protocol, one reader 18 can read both devices (using known methods for distinguishing between readings, as detailed herein with reference to Fig. 1). However, in the case where two devices are attached to the animal 10 (for example, the ID device 12 and the monitoring device 14), but both devices operate in accordance with different communication protocols, each device must be read using a different reader 18 operating in accordance with a corresponding communication protocol (as detailed herein with reference to Fig. 1).

As indicated herein, it should be noted that in some cases the ID reading and the device reading are obtained when the specified animal 10 is in the limited area 16, as defined with reference to Fig. 1.

In some cases, the device assignment system 100 may be configured to check whether the readings have failed (block 220), and in such case, to issue a notification to the user of the device assignment system 100 with a corresponding indication (block 230). It should be noted that the reading of the device may be unsuccessful for various reasons, including, for example, a device malfunction, a missed device (since in some cases devices, such as tags, may, for example, break and fall), etc.

The device assignment system 100 is further configured to cause an update of the data repository 160 to assign the device identification information to a given record of records associated with a unique identifier of a given animal 10 (block 240). In this case, the data repository 160 is automatically updated to indicate that the device identified by the device identification information is attached to the animal 10 that is identified by the received animal identifier.

It should be noted that in some cases, a device that is attached to the animal 10 may be removed (for some reason) from another animal before being attached to the animal 10. Due to the fact that the device was attached to another animal, the data repository 160 may indicate that such a device is assigned to this other animal. Accordingly, the device assignment system 100 may be further configured to cause another update of the data repository 160 to remove the identification information of the device from a second record from the records other than the specified record, wherein the second record is not associated with a unique identifier of the specified animal (block 250).

It should be noted that, in some cases, part or all of the device assignment process 200 may be performed by the control system 140 in cooperation with the tag assignment system 100 or independently.

It should also be noted, with reference to Fig. 2, that some of the blocks may be integrated into a consolidated block or may be split into several blocks, and/or other blocks may be added. It should also be noted that although the flow chart is also described with reference to the system elements implementing them, this is not mandatory, and the blocks may be implemented using elements other than those described in this document.

Fig. 4 is another block diagram illustrating another optional portion of a flow chart of operations performed to assign devices in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein.

According to some examples of the subject matter disclosed herein, as part of the device assignment process 200, after performing block 210 or block 220, the device assignment system 100 can be configured to repeatedly obtain the second animal identifier and one or more second readings from one or more readers 18 (block 310). The second animal identifier and one or more second readings obtained in block 310 can be obtained from the same source (e.g., from the same readers 18) at other times or from other sources (e.g., other readers) simultaneously or at different times.

In some cases, obtaining the second animal identifier and the second readings is performed substantially simultaneously, as described in detail with reference to Fig. 1.

The second animal identifier may be a reading of the ID of the animal identification device 12 (for example, an ID tag) attached to the given animal 10, from the reader 18 of the tag readers. In such cases, the second reading of the ID includes at least information uniquely identifying the given animal 10. In other cases, the animal identifier may be obtained from any other device capable of uniquely identifying the animal 10 (for example, using face recognition methods and/or techniques).

One or more readings obtained in block 310 include a reading of a second device attached to a given animal 10 that is not the animal identification device 12 (e.g., the animal monitoring device 14, such as a monitoring tag). The reading of the second device is obtained from one of the readers 18. In such cases, the reading of the second device includes at least device identification information that uniquely identifies the second device attached to the given animal 10.

As indicated here, it should be noted that in some cases, the ID reading and the device reading are obtained when the specified animal 10 is in the limited area 16, as defined with reference to Fig. 1, or in another limited area (for example, in another section of the animal passage) that satisfies the same limited area requirements, as defined with reference to Fig. 1.

After receiving the information in block 310, the device assignment system 100 can be configured to check whether the readings match (block 320). That is, the device assignment system 100 is configured to check that (a) the unique animal identifier included in the second ID reading received in block 310 is identical to the unique animal identifier included in the ID reading received in block 210, and (b) that the device identification information included in the second readings received in block 310 is identical to the device identification information included in the device readings received in block 210.

In case of a mismatch, the device assignment system 100 may be configured to perform an action, such as providing a notification to the user of the device assignment system 100, tagging the animal being checked, etc. (block 330). In case of no mismatch, the device assignment process 200 may proceed to block 220 or 240, causing the data repository to be updated only in case of a match between the reading values (identical animal identifier and identical device identification information).

It should be noted that, with reference to Fig. 4, some of the blocks may be integrated into a consolidated block or may be split into several blocks, and/or other blocks may be added. It should also be noted that although the flow chart is described with reference to the system elements implementing them, this is not mandatory, and the blocks may be implemented using elements other than those described in this document.

It should be understood that the subject matter described herein is not limited in its application to the details set forth in the description contained herein or illustrated in the drawings. The subject matter disclosed herein may have other embodiments and may be practiced and carried out in various ways. It should therefore be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purposes of description and should not be considered limiting. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept upon which the present disclosure is based may readily be used as a basis for designing other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the various purposes of the subject matter disclosed herein.

It should also be understood that a system in accordance with the subject matter disclosed herein may be implemented, at least in part, as a suitably programmed computer. Likewise, the subject matter described herein contemplates a computer program readable by a computer to perform the disclosed methods. The subject matter disclosed herein further contemplates a machine-readable memory tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform the disclosed methods.

Claims (48)

1. A system for assigning identification tags to animals, comprising: one or more tag readers configured to read tags attached to animals; and processing circuitry; moreover: (a) the system is communicatively coupled to a data repository containing one or more records, each of the records (i) associated with a corresponding individual animal of the plurality of animals and (ii) including a unique animal identifier associated with the corresponding individual animal; and (b) the processing circuit is configured to: substantially simultaneously: (i) receiving a read of an animal identification tag ID attached to one animal of the animals from a first tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the first tag reader operates according to a first communication protocol and the read of the ID includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying said one animal, and (ii) receiving a read of a tag of a second tag, other than an animal identification tag, attached to said one animal, from a second tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the second tag reader operates according to a second communication protocol and the read of the tag includes at least tag identification information uniquely identifying a second tag attached to said one animal; and after substantially simultaneously receiving substantially simultaneously: (a) receiving a second reading of an ID tag of an animal identification tag attached to said one animal from a third tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the third tag reader operates according to a first communication protocol and the second reading of the ID includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying said one animal, and (b) receiving a second reading of a tag of a second tag attached to said one animal from a fourth tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the fourth tag reader operates according to a second communication protocol and the second reading of the tag includes at least tag identification information uniquely identifying a second tag attached to said one animal; and, when the ID read is identical to the second ID read and the tag read is identical to the second tag read, causing the data repository to be updated to assign the tag identification information to one record of the records associated with the unique identifier of said one animal. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause a second update of the data repository to remove the identifying information of the tag from a second record of records other than said one record, wherein the second record is not associated with a unique identifier of said one animal. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second tag is an animal monitoring tag. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol is different from the second communication protocol. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first tag reader is different from the second tag reader. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the animal identification tag is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and the first communication protocol is an RFID protocol. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second tag is an infrared (IR) tag and the second communication protocol is an IR protocol. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the ID reading and the tag reading are obtained when said one animal is in a limited area, such that (a) the animal identification tag is within a first reading area of the first tag reader and (b) the second tag is within a second reading area of the second tag reader. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the restricted area is within the feed distribution station. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the restricted area is within the milking parlor. 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the restricted area is a section of the animal passageway that allows only one of the animals to be in the restricted area at the time the ID reading is received and the tag is read. 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the passage for animals is a sorting gate. 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the limited region is a region defined by the first reading region and the second reading region. 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the animal passage comprises conductive guides, and wherein at least one of (a) the first tag reader or (b) the second tag reader is isolated from the conductive guides. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein (a) the first tag reader and the third tag reader are different tag readers and (b) the second tag reader and the fourth tag reader are different tag readers. 16. The system of claim 14, wherein the second ID reading and the second tag reading are obtained when said one animal is in a second limited area other than said limited area, such that (i) the animal identification tag is within a third reading area of the second animal identification tag reader and (ii) the animal monitoring tag is within a fourth reading area of the second animal monitoring tag reader. 17. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to notify the user if there is a failure to obtain an ID read or a tag read. 18. A method for assigning identification marks to animals, comprising: substantially simultaneously: (i) receiving a reading of an ID animal identification tag attached to one animal of the animals from a first tag reader of the one or more tag readers configured to read tags attached to animals, wherein the first tag reader operates according to a first communication protocol and the reading of the ID includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying said one animal, and (ii) receiving a reading of a tag of a second tag, other than an animal identification tag, attached to said one animal, from a second tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the second tag reader operates according to a second communication protocol and the reading of the tag includes at least tag identification information uniquely identifying a second tag attached to said one animal; and after substantially simultaneously receiving substantially simultaneously: (a) receiving a second reading of an ID tag of an animal identification tag attached to said one animal from a third tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the third tag reader operates according to a first communication protocol and the second reading of the ID includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying said one animal, and (b) receiving a second reading of a tag of a second tag attached to said one animal from a fourth tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the fourth tag reader operates according to a second communication protocol and the second reading of the tag includes at least tag identification information uniquely identifying a second tag attached to said one animal; and, when the ID read is identical to the second ID read and the label read is identical to the second label read, causing an update of a data repository containing one or more records, wherein each of the records (i) is associated with a corresponding individual animal of the plurality of animals and (ii) includes a unique animal identifier associated with the corresponding individual animal, wherein the update includes assigning identification information of the label to one record of the records associated with the unique identifier of said one animal. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising causing a second update of the data repository to remove the identifying information of the tag from a second record of records other than said one record, wherein the second record is not associated with a unique identifier of said one animal. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the second tag is an animal monitoring tag. 21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the first communication protocol differs from the second communication protocol. 22. The method of claim 18, wherein the first tag reader is different from the second tag reader. 23. The method of claim 18, wherein the animal identification tag is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and the first communication protocol is an RFID protocol. 24. The method of claim 18, wherein the second tag is an infrared (IR) tag and the second communication protocol is an IR protocol. 25. The method of claim 18, wherein the ID reading and the tag reading are obtained when said one animal is in a limited area, such that (a) the animal identification tag is within a first reading area of the first tag reader and (b) the second tag is within a second reading area of the second tag reader. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the limited area is located within the feed distribution station. 27. The method of claim 25, wherein the limited area is within the milking parlor. 28. The method of claim 25, wherein the restricted area is a section of an animal passageway that allows only one of the animals to be in the restricted area at the time of receiving the ID reading and reading the tag. 29. The method according to claim 25, wherein the passage for animals is a sorting gate. 30. The method according to claim 25, wherein the limited region is a region defined by the first reading region and the second reading region. 31. The method of claim 25, wherein the animal passage comprises conductive guides, and wherein at least one of (a) the first tag reader or (b) the second tag reader is isolated from the conductive guides. 32. The method of claim 18, wherein (a) the first tag reader and the third tag reader are different tag readers and (b) the second tag reader and the fourth tag reader are different tag readers. 33. The method of claim 18, wherein the second ID reading and the second tag reading are obtained when said one animal is in a second limited area other than said limited area, such that (i) the animal identification tag is within a third reading area of the second animal identification tag reader and (ii) the animal monitoring tag is within a fourth reading area of the second animal monitoring tag reader. 34. The method of claim 18, further comprising notifying the user if there is a failure to obtain an ID read or a tag read. 35. A non-transitory machine-readable medium for assigning identification tags to animals, comprising a computer-readable program code, wherein the computer-readable program code is executable by at least one processing circuit of the computer to perform a method comprising: substantially simultaneously: i) receiving a reading of an ID animal identification tag attached to one animal of the animals from a first tag reader of the one or more tag readers configured to read tags attached to animals, wherein the first tag reader operates according to a first communication protocol and the reading of the ID includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying said one animal, and (ii) receiving a reading of a tag of a second tag, other than an animal identification tag, attached to said one animal, from a second tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the second tag reader operates according to a second communication protocol and the reading of the tag includes at least tag identification information uniquely identifying a second tag attached to said one animal; and after substantially simultaneously receiving substantially simultaneously: (a) receiving a second reading of an ID tag of an animal identification attached to said one animal from a third tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the third tag reader operates according to a first communication protocol and the second reading of the ID includes at least a unique animal identifier uniquely identifying said one animal, and (b) receiving a second reading of a tag of a second tag attached to said one animal from a fourth tag reader of the tag readers, wherein the fourth tag reader operates according to a second communication protocol and the second reading of the tag includes at least tag identification information uniquely identifying a second tag attached to said one animal; and, when the ID read is identical to the second ID read and the tag read is identical to the second tag read, causing an update of a data repository containing one or more records, wherein each of the records (i) is associated with a corresponding individual animal of the plurality of animals and (ii) includes a unique animal identifier associated with the corresponding individual animal, wherein the update includes assigning identification information of the tag to one record of the records associated with the unique identifier of said one animal.