CONTROLLABLE SCENT SAMPLE DISPENSER, AND ANIMAL TRAINING AND TESTING SYSTEM FOR DETECTING SCENTS

• US 20170290294A1
• Filed: 06/22/2017
• Published: 10/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: LINSSEN, Rene, RICHTER, Martin, KIBLER, Sebastian
• Granted Patent: US 10,729,102 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/02 Training or exercising equipment, e.g. mazes or labyrinths for animals A01K15/04 takes precedence; Electric shock devices circuits therefor H03K3/537; Toys specially adapted for animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/111 Sensor means, e.g. motion, brightness, scent, contaminant sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/131 Semi-permeable membranes
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/132 Piezo or ultrasonic elements for dispensing
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/135 Vaporisers for active components
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2209/14 Filtering means
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 9/14 using sprayed or atomised substances including air-liquid contact processes
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/132 Biological systems, e.g. with detection by animals or plants

Abstract

A controllable scent sample dispenser has a microdosing device for outputting, during an activation state, a scent sample at a scent sample outlet to the environment, wherein the microdosing device is placeable adjacent to an animal'"'"'s nose so that a distance between the outlet of the microdosing device and a nare or nostril of the animal'"'"'s nose is within a predefined range, and a microdosing driver unit for adjusting a dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet by selectively activating the microdosing device.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method of positive-reinforced scent training an animal for reliable recognition of a scent sample, comprising:

supplying the scent sample to the nose of the animal to be trained,

encouraging the animal to execute a specific behavior during exposing the animal'"'"'s nose to the scent sample,

rewarding the animal if it executes the specific behavior, and

repeating supplying, encouraging and rewarding until the animal executes the specific behavior each time the scent sample is supplied.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein encouraging comprises instructing the animal to be trained with a voice or gesture command of a trainer.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, during repeating supplying, encouraging and rewarding, the encouraging is reduced or omitted.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein a controllable fluid sample dispenser is used for supplying the scent sample to the nose of the animal to be trained, wherein the controllable fluid sample dispenser comprises a microdosing device that outputs, during an activation state, a scent sample at a scent sample outlet to the environment, wherein the microdosing device is placeable adjacent to an animal'"'"'s nose so that a distance between the outlet of the microdosing device and a nare or nostril of the animal'"'"'s nose is within a predefined range, and a microdosing driver unit that adjusts a dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet by selectively activating the microdosing device, wherein the microdosing device comprises a micro pump having a micro-membrane or micro-diaphragm pump with a pump chamber providing a stroke volume, and wherein the microdosing driver unit adjusts the dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet based on the stroke volume of the micro pump and a number of pump strokes or diaphragm excursions for transporting a carrier gas in a predetermined direction to the scent sample outlet.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the controllable fluid sample dispenser comprises a further micro pump, the method further comprising:

randomly activating the further micro pump during time periods, the micro pump is not activated.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the further micro pump comprises the same design as the micro pump and provides a dummy pump function.

8. Use of a controllable fluid sample dispenser for performing the method of claim 2, wherein the controllable fluid sample dispenser is used for supplying the scent sample to the nose of the animal to be trained, wherein the controllable fluid sample dispenser comprises a microdosing device that outputs, during an activation state, a scent sample at a scent sample outlet to the environment, wherein the microdosing device is placeable adjacent to an animal'"'"'s nose so that a distance between the outlet of the microdosing device and a nare or nostril of the animal'"'"'s nose is within a predefined range, and a microdosing driver unit that adjusts a dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet by selectively activating the microdosing device, wherein the microdosing device comprises a micro pump having a micro-membrane or micro-diaphragm pump with a pump chamber providing a stroke volume, and wherein the microdosing driver unit adjusts the dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet based on the stroke volume of the micro pump and a number of pump strokes or diaphragm excursions for transporting a carrier gas in a predetermined direction to the scent sample outlet.

9. A method for determining the minimum scent concentration of a scent sample, an animal can detect, comprising:

setting or calibrating the scent concentration of the scent sample provided by the scent reservoir,

supplying the scent sample with a start dosing rate to the animal'"'"'s nose,

increasing the dosing rate supplied to the animal'"'"'s nare, until the animal responds to the scent sample,

wherein the minimum scent concentration detectable by the animal corresponds to the currently supplied dosing rate, when the animal responds to the supplied scent sample.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

if the animal already responds to the scent sample supplied with the start dosing rate,

reducing the first dosing rate by at least 50% to a new start dosing rate, and

performing supplying and increasing by starting with the new start dosing rate.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein a controllable fluid sample dispenser is used for supplying the scent sample to the nose of the animal to be trained, wherein the controllable fluid sample dispenser comprises a microdosing device that outputs, during an activation state, a scent sample at a scent sample outlet to the environment, wherein the microdosing device is placeable adjacent to an animal'"'"'s nose so that a distance between the outlet of the microdosing device and a nare or nostril of the animal'"'"'s nose is within a predefined range, and a microdosing driver unit that adjusts a dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet by selectively activating the microdosing device, wherein the microdosing device comprises a micro pump having a micro-membrane or micro-diaphragm pump with a pump chamber providing a stroke volume, and wherein the microdosing driver unit adjusts the dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet based on the stroke volume of the micro pump and a number of pump strokes or diaphragm excursions for transporting a carrier gas in a predetermined direction to the scent sample outlet.

12. A method for determining the scent sample detection limit of an animal, comprising:

setting or calibrating the concentration of the scent sample provided by the scent reservoir,

supplying the scent sample with a start dosing rate to the animal'"'"'s nose,

decreasing the dosing rate supplied to the animal'"'"'s nare, until the animal stops to respond to the scent sample,

wherein the scent sample detection limit of the animal corresponds to the currently supplied dosing rate, when the animal stops to respond to the supplied scent sample.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

if the animal already does not respond to the scent sample supplied with the start dosing rate,

increasing the first dosing rate by at least 50% to a new start dosing rate, and

performing supplying and decreasing by starting with the new start dosing rate.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein a controllable fluid sample dispenser is used for supplying the scent sample to the nose of the animal to be trained, wherein the controllable fluid sample dispenser comprises a microdosing device that outputs, during an activation state, a scent sample at a scent sample outlet to the environment, wherein the microdosing device is placeable adjacent to an animal'"'"'s nose so that a distance between the outlet of the microdosing device and a nare or nostril of the animal'"'"'s nose is within a predefined range, and a microdosing driver unit that adjusts a dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet by selectively activating the microdosing device, wherein the microdosing device comprises a micro pump having a micro-membrane or micro-diaphragm pump with a pump chamber providing a stroke volume, and wherein the microdosing driver unit adjusts the dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet based on the stroke volume of the micro pump and a number of pump strokes or diaphragm excursions for transporting a carrier gas in a predetermined direction to the scent sample outlet.

15. A method for determining the minimum scent concentration of a scent sample, a scent detector can detect, comprising:

setting or calibrating the scent concentration of the scent sample provided by the scent reservoir,

supplying the scent sample with a start dosing rate to a sensing element of the scent detector,

increasing the dosing rate supplied to the sensing element, until the scent detector responds to the scent sample,

wherein the minimum scent concentration detectable by the scent detector corresponds to the currently supplied dosing rate, when the scent detector responds to the supplied scent sample.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

if the scent detector already responds to the scent sample supplied with the start dosing rate,

reducing the first dosing rate by at least 50% to a new start dosing rate, and

performing supplying and increasing by starting with the new start dosing rate.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein a controllable fluid sample dispenser is used for supplying the scent sample to the nose of the animal to be trained, wherein the controllable fluid sample dispenser comprises a microdosing device that outputs, during an activation state, a scent sample at a scent sample outlet to the environment, wherein the microdosing device is placeable adjacent to an animal'"'"'s nose so that a distance between the outlet of the microdosing device and a nare or nostril of the animal'"'"'s nose is within a predefined range, and a microdosing driver unit that adjusts a dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet by selectively activating the microdosing device, wherein the microdosing device comprises a micro pump having a micro-membrane or micro-diaphragm pump with a pump chamber providing a stroke volume, and wherein the microdosing driver unit adjusts the dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet based on the stroke volume of the micro pump and a number of pump strokes or diaphragm excursions for transporting a carrier gas in a predetermined direction to the scent sample outlet.

18. A method for determining the scent sample detection limit of a scent detector, comprising:

setting or calibrating the concentration of the scent sample provided by the scent reservoir,

supplying the scent sample with a start dosing rate to a sensing element of the scent detector,

decreasing the dosing rate supplied to the sensing element, until the scent detector stops to respond to the scent sample,

wherein the scent sample detection limit of the scent detector corresponds to the currently supplied dosing rate, when the scent detector stops to respond to the supplied scent sample.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

if the scent detector does not respond to the scent sample supplied with the start dosing rate,

increasing the first dosing rate by at least 50% to a new start dosing rate, and

performing supplying and decreasing by starting with the new start dosing rate.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein a controllable fluid sample dispenser is used for supplying the scent sample to the nose of the animal to be trained, wherein the controllable fluid sample dispenser comprises a microdosing device that outputs, during an activation state, a scent sample at a scent sample outlet to the environment, wherein the microdosing device is placeable adjacent to an animal'"'"'s nose so that a distance between the outlet of the microdosing device and a nare or nostril of the animal'"'"'s nose is within a predefined range, and a microdosing driver unit that adjusts a dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet by selectively activating the microdosing device, wherein the microdosing device comprises a micro pump having a micro-membrane or micro-diaphragm pump with a pump chamber providing a stroke volume, and wherein the microdosing driver unit adjusts the dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet based on the stroke volume of the micro pump and a number of pump strokes or diaphragm excursions for transporting a carrier gas in a predetermined direction to the scent sample outlet.