System For Recognizing Animals

• US 20100156612A1
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nedap AGRI BV
• Original Assignee: Nedap AGRI BV
• Inventors: Roosenboom, Derk Jan
• Granted Patent: US 8,830,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.420
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas

Abstract

A system for recognizing animals in a detection zone (4) wherein the animals are provided with a label (6.i) that responds by transmitting a return signal with information when the label is (6.i) introduced into an electromagnetic interrogation field, provided with at least a transmitting and receiving system (2) for transmitting the electromagnetic interrogation field in the detection zone (4) and for receiving a return signal from a label (6.i) located in the detection zone (4), whereby the transmitting and receiving system (2) is provided with a plurality of antennas (8.i) for receiving a return signal from at least one label (6.i) present in the detection zone (4) wherein the antennas (8.i) are designed and arranged to discretely receive electromagnetic signals which come from mutually different subzones (4.i) wherein the subzones (4.i) in combination from the detection (4) zone.

Claims

1. A system for recognizing animals in a detection zone wherein the animals are provided with a label that responds by transmitting a return signal with information when the label is introduced into an electromagnetic interrogation field, provided with at least a transmitting and receiving system for transmitting the electromagnetic interrogation field in the detection zone and for receiving a return signal from a label present in the detection zone, characterized in that the transmitting and receiving system is provided with a plurality of antennas for receiving a return signal from at least one label present in the detection zone, wherein the antennas are designed and arranged to discretely receive electromagnetic signals respectively coming from mutually different subzones, wherein the subzones in combination form the detection zone.

2. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that with each antenna one subzone is covered.

3. A system according to any one of claim 1-2, characterized in that the system is provided with mutually different groups of antennas.

4. A system according to claim 3, characterized in that with at least one group of the groups of antennas one group of subzones is covered.

5. A system according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that with at least one group of the groups of antennas one subzone is covered.

6. A system according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that each subzone is covered by one antenna.

7. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of neighbouring subzones adjoin each other and/or partly overlap each other.

8. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmitting and receiving system is provided with a signal processing unit wherein the transmitting and receiving system generates a receiving signal per antenna and/or per group of antennas, wherein the receiving signals are processed in combination by the signal processing unit for obtaining the information from the return signal of at least one label present in the detection zone.

9. A system according to claim 8 and any one of claims 3-5, characterized in that the transmitting and receiving system generates a receiving signal per group of antennas.

10. A system according to claim 8 and claim 6, characterized in that the transmitting and receiving system generates one receiving signal per antenna.

11. A system according to any one of claims 8-10, characterized in that a receiving signal involves a received electromagnetic signal.

12. A system according to any one of claims 8-10, characterized in that a receiving signal involves a received electromagnetic signal that is stripped of a carrier wave.

13. A system according to any one of claims 8-12, characterized in that the transmitting and receiving system is provided with A/D convertor means for obtaining digitalized receiving signals.

14. A system according to any one of claims 8-13, characterized in that the transmitting and receiving system is provided with a plurality of receivers wherein each receiver is connected with one antenna or with a group of antennas for generating a receiving signal per antenna or per group of antennas.

15. A system according to claim 14, characterized in that each antenna is connected with, each time, only one of the receivers.

16. A system according to claims 6 and 14, characterized in that each receiver is connected with, each time, one of the antennas.

17. A system according to any one of claims 3-5 and according to claim 14, characterized in that each receiver is connected with, each time, only one of the groups of antennas.

18. A system according to any one of claims 8-13, characterized in that the transmitting and receiving system is provided with a multiplexer which is connected with each of the antennas for each time selecting one antenna or one group of antennas from the plurality of antennas for successively obtaining the different receiving signals per antenna or per group of antennas which are supplied to the signal processing unit to be processed further.

19. A system according to claims 6 and 18, characterized in that the multiplexer, each time, selects only one antenna.

20. A system according to any one of claims 3-5 and according to claim 18, characterized in that the multiplexer, each time, selects only one group of antennas.

21. A system according to claims 11, 13 and 18, characterized in that the multiplexer, each time, connects one of the selected antennas or group of antennas with an A/D convertor for obtaining a digitalized receiving signal that has not yet been stripped of a carrier wave and which is supplied to the signal processing unit for further processing.

22. A system according to claim 21, characterized in that the signal processing unit involves a digital signal processing unit.

23. A system according to claim 18, characterized in that the multiplexer, each time, connects one of the selected antennas or group of antennas with a receiver for obtaining a receiving signal or a digitalized receiving signal which has been stripped of a carrier wave.

24. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of the antennas are each designed as a walk-through, walk-along or walk-over antenna.

25. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the signal processing unit, in use, correlates different receiving signals with each other.

26. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmitting and receiving system is provided with at least one transmitter for generating the interrogation field.

27. A system according to claim 26, characterized in that the system is further provided with at least one transmitting antenna which is connected with the at least one transmitter for generating the interrogation field.

28. A system according to claim 27, characterized in that the system is provided with a plurality of transmitting antennas which are connected with the at least one transmitter.

29. A system according to any one of claims 26-28, characterized in that the at least one transmitter is connected with a plurality of said antennas.

30. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmitting and receiving system is designed for generating the interrogation field in the form of a rotating field.

31. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmitting and receiving system is designed for determining in which subzone a label is present.

32. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmitting and receiving system is designed for determining in which direction a label moves through the detection zone.

33. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the labels are I&

R labels.

34. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the system is further provided with I&

R labels.

35. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of the antennas are included in a housing.

36. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said discrete electromagnetic signals are received separately from each other.