Surveillance system for animals

• US 7,059,275 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aniwell OY
• Original Assignee: Aniwell OY
• Inventors: Vuori, Jarkko, Lankinen, Tarmo, Varho-Lankinen, Tiina, Tuomi, Jarkko, Saloniemi, Hannu, Laitinen, Arvo
• Primary Examiner(s): ABBOTT, YVONNE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US10/926,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20050081797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 119/51.02, 119/720, 119/719, 119/721, 119/905, 119/908, 119/651, 340/573.1, 340/573.2, 340/573.3, 340/573.4
• US Class Current: 119/720
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/008 incorporating GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/00 Other apparatus for animal husbandry
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating

Abstract

A system for the surveillance of animals includes identification and measuring elements attached to the animals, as well as at least one local level information system (115), wirelessly connected to the identification and measuring elements of a certain group of animals for saving animal-specific measuring results into the information network. Aiming to provide a new kind of a surveillance system for domestic husbandry that enables different interest groups to monitor the kind of a group of animals they wish, the system includes at least one higher level information system, connected to the chosen local level system through a communications network for the reception of animal-specific measuring results from at the minimum one local system, and at least one software application using the data gathered in the higher level system to produce information about the animals to at the minimum one higher level information system by processing the collected data.

Claims

1. A system for surveillance of animals, the system comprising

identification and measuring elements having a short-range transmitter-receiver (100) attached to the animals for identification checking and animal-specific measuring,

at least one local level information system (115) which is wirelessly connectable to the identification and measuring elements attached to a certain group of the animals in a certain local level and which is adapted to save results of the animal-specific measuring,

a terminal unit (200) of a communications network situated in the certain local level information system, wherein the terminal unit (200) includes a locating function that is built into a locating module (600) or a radio network module (601),

at the minimum, one higher level information system (130, 135) adapted to be in connection with a certain local level information system through the terminal unit (200) for receiving animal-specific data based on said results,

at least one software application adapted to process the animal-specific data at a higher level information system, said processing resulting in animal information which is sent to at least one other higher level system, and

authentication elements (211, 226) arranged in the certain local information system for authenticating the identification and measuring elements, wherein each higher level information system, which has received the sent animal information, is able

to verify the location of the terminal unit (200) by means of the locating function,

to authenticate the identification and measuring elements, and after that

to identify the animals, and

to control the animals and/or their environment on the basis of the animal information with which the animals have been identified.

2. The system as in claim 1, the system further comprising several local level information systems, each of which being adjusted to collect the results of the animal-specific measuring.

3. The system as in claim 2, wherein a radio network module (600) is connected to the terminal unit (200).

4. The system as in claim 2, wherein the identification and measuring elements of different animals are adapted to communicate with one another wirelessly.

5. The system as in claim 2, wherein the identification and measuring elements are fitted outside the animals.

6. The system as in claim 5, wherein the identification and measuring elements feature dosing elements (236) for dispersing a predetermined dose into each animal.

7. The system as in claim 2, wherein the identification and measuring elements are fitted inside the animals.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein the certain local level information system features a wireless local area network in which the identification and measuring elements (100) are nodes of the wireless local area network.

9. The system as in claim 1, wherein the higher level information system is functionally connected to a self-learning system (420).

10. A method for surveillance of animals, the method comprising the steps of

identifying the animals carrying identification and measurement elements equipped with a short-range transmitter-receiver (100),

performing measurements concerning the animals'"'"' condition and

saving results of the performed measurements into a certain local information system (115),

gathering animal-specific data obtained from said results to at least one higher level information system (130, 135) which is adapted to be connected to the certain local level system (115) through a terminal unit (200) of a communications network, the terminal unit (200) including a locating function that is built into a locating module (600) or a radio network module (601),

producing animal information by means of at least one software application which is adapted to read the animal-specific data gathered in the higher level system (130, 135),

transmitting the animal information to another higher level information system and at said other higher level information system,

verifying the location of the terminal unit (200) by means of the locating function,

authenticating by means of authentication elements arranged in the local information system via the terminal unit (200) the animals carrying the identification and measuring elements, and

controlling said animals and/or their environment on the basis of the animal information with which the animals have been identified.

11. The method as in claim 10, the method comprising the step of retrieving the animal information to the certain local level system (115).