JP2007075043A - Estrus detection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an estrus detection apparatus which can accurately detect an estrus without giving a stress to an ox, is hardly detached from the ox, and can prevent the damage of the ox. <P>SOLUTION: This estrus detection apparatus 1 comprises the first contact plate member 2 to be contacted with one side of the back of the ox, the second contact plate member 3 to be contacted with the other side of the back of the ox, a saddle type member 4 attached to the first contact plate member 2 and the second contact plate member 3, and a belt member 5 attached to the saddle type member 4. A light-emitting member 6 is disposed at the upper portion of the saddle type member 4, and an estrus detector is disposed in a space in the saddle type member 4. When the ox is released in a pasture to take its excise, the estrus movement is detected with the estrus detector, and the color of light of the light-emitting member 6 is variously changed in response to time from the detection of the estrus. Thus, the estrus can accurately be detected, while the ox is maintained in a healthy and stress-free state. The estrus detection apparatus 1 is hardly detached from the ox. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an estrus detection device that detects the estrus period of cattle.

  In order to seed cattle at the optimal time, it is necessary to accurately grasp the female estrus. As one method of grasping the estrus period, there is a method in which the breeder visually monitors the estrus behavior of the cow, for example, riding behavior, and identifies the female in the estrus period. However, this method has a problem that the breeder must constantly monitor the cows and the work load is large, and the number of cows to be raised increases, especially when cattle are grazed, etc. There was a problem that it was not possible.

  In order to solve such problems, a technique for detecting estrus based on the estrus behavior of cattle has been proposed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-32609 “Oxal Estrus Management Device” attaches a pressure detection unit to the cow's waist, detects the contact pressure when riding and measures the number of times of riding, and detects the estrus period. .

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-332411 “A method for breeding and breeding cows that perform artificial insemination by confirming estrus of cows and a device with a built-in radio signal / transmitting signal transmitter used therein” A signal / light emitting signal transmission device is provided, and when it is boarded, a signal teaching cow's estrus is transmitted from this transmission device to the breeder to detect the estrus period.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-320632, “Riding behavior measuring device”, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-370048, “Norikura behavior measuring device”, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-370049, “Norikura behavior measuring device”, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-370050. In the publication No. “Riding behavior measuring device”, the frequency of riding behavior is automatically measured based on the number of actuations and the operating time of a switch that is actuated by the pressing contact of the boarded animal, and the estrus period is detected.

JP 11-32609 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-332411 JP-A-4-320632 JP-A-4-370048 JP-A-4-370049 JP-A-4-370050

However, the conventional technique has the following problems.
That is, in the above-described conventional technique, the cow must be raised in a narrow area such as a fence, and is mainly indoor raised, so it is easy to give stress to the cow, and it is also possible to attach the device to the waist area. It was a stress.

The best time to seed a cow is about 7 to 18 hours after the cow starts estrus in the estrus period. Even if it is in the estrus period, seeding may not be successful. Many. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately detect the estrus period of cattle for efficient seeding. However, if the cow accumulates stress, the estrus behavior and the estrus period of the cow become irregular, making it difficult to accurately detect the optimal seeding period, and the seeding cannot be performed well. Arise.
For this reason, it is desirable to release the stress by grazing cattle, but when cattle are grazed, the cattle may diffuse and go out of sight, making it difficult to accurately detect the estrus. And eventually, it misses the seeding time.

Moreover, in the prior art, since the apparatus which measures the frequency | count of boarding is started by the press of the boarded cow, there also existed a problem that an apparatus removed depending on the contact condition at the time of boarding.
In addition, if the cow lies down, hits or rubs against the fence of the ranch, etc., the device will operate and the detection accuracy of the estrus period will decrease. The problem arises that the body is rubbed and hurts the cow.
Therefore, it is also conceivable to attach a device for detecting the tilt or vibration of the cow's body to the foot or neck, and to detect the estrus period by identifying the estrus behavior of the cow using this device. However, in such a device, the cow's foot and neck are relatively easy to move regardless of whether or not they are in estrus, so that the device may operate even when it is not in estrus. There is.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and can accurately detect the estrus period without giving stress to the cow, and is difficult to come off from the cow and prevents the cow from being damaged. An object of the present invention is to provide an estrus detection device that can be used.

  In order to achieve the above object, an estrus detection device according to claim 1 is an estrus detection device mounted on the back of a cow, with one side of the back of the cow sandwiching the spine portion of the back of the cow. A first abutting plate that is in contact with the back, a second abutting plate that is in contact with the other side of the cow's back across the spine portion of the cow's back, and an upper portion thereof and the cow's back A substantially saddle-shaped saddle-shaped body connected to the first contact plate and the second contact plate so that a gap is formed between the first contact plate and the front leg and the belly of the cow A belt body that crosses the region to the second contact plate body, an estrus detector that is provided on the rod-shaped body and detects that the cow is in estrus, and the estrus detector Output means for outputting cow estrus information when the cow's estrus is detected.

That is, the invention according to claim 1 can detect that the cow is in estrus while grazing, so that the cow can be kept in a healthy and stress-free state while detecting the estrus of the cow.
In addition, since the estrus detection device is attached to the upper part of the spine of the cow, it is difficult to stress the cow and there is a gap between the rod and the cow's back, so even if the cow lies down, The spine that protrudes is not damaged regardless of the cow's posture. Thus, the cow can be kept in a healthier and stress free state.
In addition, since the estrus detection device is firmly attached to the upper part of the cow's spine, the estrus detection device is less likely to come off the cow, and the estrus detection device is estrus as compared to the case where it is attached to the cow's waist, legs, and neck. It is possible to accurately detect that it is in a state.
It should be noted that outputting cow estrus information refers to an aspect that can be recognized by a supervisor, such as transmitting information that the estrus has occurred or visually indicating it by light.

  The estrus detection device according to claim 2 is the estrus detection device according to claim 1, wherein the estrus detector detects an acceleration sensor that detects the inclination of the cow's body and a vibration that detects the vibration of the cow's body. Estrus behavior measuring means comprising at least one of the sensors and the number of times that the cow's body is detected to be tilted by the acceleration sensor and / or the number of times that the vibration of the cow is detected by the vibration sensor Discriminating means for discriminating that the cow is in estrus when is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

  That is, the invention according to claim 2 can detect the estrus period of cattle with a simple and inexpensive configuration.

  The estrus detection device according to claim 3 is the estrus detection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper surface of the bowl-like body bulges upward and protrudes upward. A machine is attached to the inside of the bulged portion of the bowl-like body.

That is, in the invention according to claim 3, since the surroundings of the estrus detector are covered with the rod-shaped body, the estrus detector is not exposed to wind and rain. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the estrus detector from being damaged by the influence of wind and rain.
In addition, that the upper surface of a bowl-like body bulges out convexly protrudes so that a part of upper surface of a bowl-like body may bulge upwards.

  Further, the estrus detection device according to claim 4 is the estrus detection device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the estrus detection device counts the time since the determination means determined that the cow is in estrus, And a light emitting means for changing a light emission mode according to the time measured by the time measuring means.

That is, the invention according to claim 4 can easily recognize the optimum seeding time of the cow by the light emission mode.
Moreover, even if the cow is grazed, it is possible to recognize a cow that is in estrus from a distance.
In addition, as a method of changing the light emission mode, it is possible to emit light by changing the color, to blink the light by changing the intermittent time, and further to display by changing the number by the 8-segment LED. It is done.

  Further, the estrus detection device according to claim 5 is the estrus detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first contact plate and the second contact plate, or the The belt body is characterized by being processed to prevent slipping.

  That is, since the invention concerning Claim 5 can prevent a 1st contact plate body and a 2nd contact plate body, or a belt body from slipping, an estrus detection apparatus is hard to remove | deviate from a cow further.

  As described above, according to the present invention (Claim 1), a cow can be kept in a healthy and stress-free state while accurately detecting the estrus of the cow. Moreover, according to this invention (Claim 2), the estrus period of a cow can be detected with a simple and inexpensive configuration. Moreover, according to this invention (Claim 3), it can prevent that an estrus detector is damaged by the influence of a wind and rain. Moreover, according to this invention (Claim 4), the optimal seeding time of a cow can be easily recognized with the light emission mode. Moreover, according to this invention (Claim 5), an estrus detection apparatus is hard to remove | deviate from a cow further.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The estrus detection apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus that detects estrus based on the fact that a cow repeats riding on another cow for several seconds in the early stage of estrus.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view when the estrus detection apparatus of the present embodiment is attached to a cow. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state of the estrus detection device viewed from the rear along the spine of the cow, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the estrus detection device shown in FIG.

  The estrus detection device 1 is a device that is attached to the back of a cow, and includes a first contact plate 2 that is in contact with one side of the cow's back and a first contact that is in contact with the other side of the cow's back. Two contact plate bodies 3, a first contact plate body 2 and a hook-like body 4 attached to the second contact plate body 3, and a belt body 5 attached to the hook-like body 4 are provided. .

  The first contact plate 2 is a substantially rectangular plate that is in contact with the left side of the cow's back across the cow's spine, and is a flexible member formed of a resin material or the like. is there. The first abutting plate 2 is slightly warped from the upper side to the lower side so as to gently come into surface contact in a state where the first abutting plate body 2 is in contact with the back of the cow. Further, a plurality of hair columns are implanted on the back surface of the first abutting plate body 2 so as to prevent displacement in a state where the abutting plate body 2 is in contact with the back of the cow (not shown). Thereby, it becomes difficult for the first contact plate 2 to slide from the back of the cow.

  The second contact plate 3 is a substantially rectangular plate that is in contact with the right side of the cow's back across the cow's spine, and is a flexible member formed of a resin material or the like. is there. Further, the second abutting plate 3 has a slightly warped shape from the upper side to the lower side so as to gently come into surface contact in a state where it abuts on the back of the cow. Furthermore, a plurality of hair columns are implanted on the back surface of the second abutting plate 3 so as to prevent displacement in a state where the second abutting plate body 3 is in contact with the back of the cow (not shown). Thereby, it becomes difficult for the second contact plate 3 to slide from the back of the cow.

The bowl-shaped body 4 is a substantially bowl-shaped member, and is attached to the lower bowl-shaped body 41 and the lower bowl-shaped body 41 attached to the first and second contact plate bodies 2 and 3. And an upper bowl-shaped body 42.
The lower bowl-shaped body 41 is a substantially bowl-like shape in which a single plate is curved in a mountain shape, and is a non-flexible member formed of a plastic material. In addition, the lower flange 41 has a shape in which the lower part is slightly warped outward, the left side of the lower part is attached to the first abutting plate 2, and the right side of the lower part Is attached to the second contact plate 3.

The upper bowl-shaped body 42 has a mounting portion 421 and a bulging portion 422 that bulges upward from the mounting portion 421.
The attachment portion 421 is a frame-like portion that is curved like a mountain in the upper bowl-shaped body 42, and is attached to the lower bowl-shaped body 41 so as to cover the lower bowl-shaped body 41.

The bulging portion 422 protrudes (bulges) so as to bulge from the frame-shaped inner edge of the mounting portion 421. Specifically, the bulging portion 422 bulges in two steps so as to taper upward from the inner edge of the mounting portion 421. ing. As a result, a gap space is provided inside the bulging portion 422.
In addition, the light emitting unit 6 is provided above the bulging part 422, and the estrus detector 7 is provided in the gap space in the bulging part 422.
The surface of the light emitting unit 6 is formed of a transparent member and includes a plurality of light emitting diodes. As a result, light can be emitted using light of a plurality of colors, and the light can be visually recognized from the outside.
The estrus detector 7 is a device for detecting the estrus of a cow, and includes an estrus behavior measurement unit 71 and a determination unit 72.

The estrus behavior measuring unit 71 measures the frequency of cow estrus behavior, and includes an acceleration sensor 711 and a vibration sensor 712.
The acceleration sensor 711 detects that the cow's body angle is tilted by more than a predetermined angle from the horizontal due to the riding action, and the number of times the cow has boarded (hereinafter referred to as the first boarding number). Count as appropriate).
The vibration sensor 712 senses that the cow's body vibrates, and counts the number of times of detection of this vibration as the number of times of riding (hereinafter referred to as the second number of times of riding as appropriate).

  In this embodiment, two types of sensors are used in order to increase the measurement accuracy of the number of times of riding, but a configuration using any one of the two may be used depending on the mode of use. .

When either the acceleration sensor 711 or the vibration sensor 712 counts the number of times of riding, the estrus behavior measuring unit 71 transmits the number of times of riding to the determination unit 72.
The discriminating unit 72 stores thresholds for the first and the second number of times of riding and further includes a timer. And it is discriminate | determined whether the 1st boarding frequency | count transmitted from the estrus action measurement part 71 and the 2nd boarding frequency | count are each more than each threshold value within predetermined time. If both the first and second riding times are equal to or greater than the threshold value within a predetermined time, the determination unit 72 determines that the cow is in estrus.

The belt body 5 includes a left mounting bracket 51, a right mounting bracket 52 and a band 53.
The left mounting bracket 51 is attached to the lower part on the left side of the lower bowl-shaped body 41 so that the band 53 can be passed therethrough.
The right mounting bracket 52 is attached to the lower part on the right side of the lower saddle-like body 41 so that the band 53 can be passed therethrough.
The left mounting bracket 51 and the right mounting bracket 52 may be mounted on the first contact plate body 2 and the second contact plate body 3, respectively, and the band 53 may be passed through them.

When attaching the estrus detection device 1 to a cow, first, the first contact plate 2 is brought into contact with the left side of the cow's back, and the second contact plate 3 is brought into contact with the right side of the cow's back. . The band 53 is passed through the left mounting bracket 51 and the right mounting bracket 52, and the band 53 is pulled while maintaining an appropriate tension, so that the estrus detection device 1 is securely mounted on the back of the cow. At this time, the band 53 is pulled along the site between the front leg and the belly of the cow (see FIG. 1).
In this state, the upper part of the lower saddle member 41 is lifted from the cow's spine so that it does not contact the cow's spine even if the cow lies down. In addition, since the estrus detector 7 is covered with the bulging portion 422 on the upper side and the lateral side and covered with the lower bowl-like body 421 on the lower side, it is not exposed to the outside and is not exposed to wind and rain.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the estrus detection device 1.
The estrus detection device 1 includes a light emitting unit 6, an estrus behavior measuring unit 71, a determining unit 72, a time measuring unit 8, and a control unit 9.
As described above, the light emitting unit 6 can emit light using light of a plurality of colors. The estrus behavior measuring unit 71 includes an acceleration sensor 711 and a vibration sensor 712. The determining unit 72 determines whether the cow is in estrus based on the signal from the estrus behavior measuring unit 71.

The timer unit 8 has a built-in timer, and a signal is transmitted from the determination unit 72 when the determination unit 72 determines that the cow is in estrus. And by measuring the time since the signal was received, the time since the cow was estrus is counted.
The control unit 9 is configured to transmit a signal from the determination unit 72 when the determination unit 72 determines that the cow is in estrus. Further, a signal corresponding to the time being measured is transmitted from the time measuring unit 8. And when the signal from the discrimination | determination part 72 is received, based on the signal from the time measuring part 8, the light emission part 6 is controlled.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing cow riding behavior.
When she is grazed from the barn to the pasture for exercise, estrus cow A begins riding on other cows. At this time, the estrused cow A usually does not ride on the same cow for a long time, but because the other party dislikes, the riding finishes in about several seconds, and the other party is changed one after another. At this time, the acceleration sensor 711 and the vibration sensor 712 respectively count the first and second saddle times.
Then, the estrus behavior measuring unit 71 transmits the first and second riding counts counted by the acceleration sensor 711 and the vibration sensor 712 to the determination unit 72, respectively. The discriminating unit 72 transmits a signal to the time measuring unit 8 and the control unit 9, respectively, if the first number of times of riding and the second number of times of riding are equal to or greater than each preset threshold.

The timekeeping unit 8 starts timekeeping in response to receiving the signal, and transmits a signal of timed time to the control unit 9.
The control unit 9 controls the light emitting unit 6 based on the signal from the time measuring unit 8. Cattle estrus is generally 24 hours under no stress, and among them, the optimal time zone for cattle seeding is 7-18 hours after estrus. Therefore, the control unit 9 changes the color of light of the light emitting unit 6 in various ways so that the time zone can be easily recognized.

Specifically, for example, the light emitting unit 6 emits blue light for 7 hours after the cow is in estrus. Then, after 7 hours have elapsed, the light emitting unit 6 is made to emit yellow light, and after 18 hours have passed, it is made to emit red light. Thereby, by checking the color of the light of the light emission part 6, it can be judged easily whether a cow is optimal for seeding. Specifically, in this case, the optimum method is to prepare for seeding while the light emitting unit 6 emits blue light, and to perform seeding when light is emitted yellow.
Note that the light color of the light emitting unit 6 may be changed more finely in accordance with the signal from the time measuring unit 8. In this way, since the time since the cow was in estrus can be known in more detail, it becomes possible to perform seeding more accurately.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to detect that the cow is estrus while grazing, so that the cow can be kept healthy and free of stress while detecting the estrus of the cow.
Furthermore, since the estrus detection device 1 is attached to the upper part of the spine of the cow, it is difficult to give stress to the cow, and since there is a gap between the rod 4 and the back of the cow, the cow lie down The cow's spine is not damaged, and the protruding spine is not damaged regardless of the cow's posture. Thus, the cow can be kept in a healthier and stress free state.
In addition, since the estrus detection device 1 is firmly attached to the upper part of the spine of the cow, the estrus detection device 1 is less likely to be detached from the cow, and the estrus detection device 1 is attached to the cow's waist, legs, and neck, It is possible to accurately detect that the state is in estrus.

Moreover, since it is discriminate | determined whether the cow is estrus using the acceleration sensor 711 and the vibration sensor 712, the estrus period of a cow can be detected with a simple and cheap structure.
Moreover, since the surroundings of the estrus detector 7 are covered with the hook-like body 4, it is possible to prevent the estrus detector 7 from being damaged by the influence of wind and rain.
Moreover, the optimal seeding time of a cow can be easily recognized by the color of the light of the light emitting unit 6.
Furthermore, even if cattle are grazed, cows that are in estrus from a distance can be recognized.
Further, since the first contact plate body 2 and the second contact plate body 3 are processed to prevent slipping, the estrus detection device 1 is further less likely to come off the cow.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.
For example, the estrus detection device 1 is provided with a separate transmission unit for transmitting a signal that the cow has estrus, a reception unit for receiving this signal is provided in an external facility, and the reception unit receives the signal, thereby receiving the signal. May be detected.
Moreover, the light of the light emission part 6 may be recognized from the outside by forming the bowl-shaped body 4 with a transparent plastic and providing the light emission part 6 therein.
Further, the belt body 5 may be subjected to a slip prevention process.
In addition, the light emitting unit 6 may be a unit that blinks one color of light with various intermittent times changed according to the signal from the time measuring unit 8, or the time since the estrus is performed by the 8-segment LED. May be displayed.
Furthermore, the light emitting unit 6 may be attached to a side portion of the bulging portion 422, or may include a solar cell and emit light by solar power generation.

It is the schematic at the time of attaching the estrus detection apparatus of this Embodiment to a cow. It is the figure which showed the state which looked at the estrus detection apparatus from back along the spine of a cow. It is the top view which looked at the estrus detection apparatus shown in FIG. 2 from upper direction. It is the figure which showed the structural example of the estrus detection apparatus. It is the figure which showed the riding behavior of the cow.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Estrus detection apparatus 2 1st contact plate body 3 2nd contact plate body 4 bowl-shaped body 5 belt body 6 light emission part 7 estrus detector 8 time measuring part 71 estrus action measurement part 72 discrimination | determination part 422 bulging part 711 acceleration sensor 712 Vibration sensor

Claims (5)

An estrus detection device worn on the back of a cow,
A first abutting plate that is in contact with one side of the cow's back across the spine portion of the cow's back,
A second abutting plate that is in contact with the other side of the cow's back across the spine portion of the cow's back;
A generally bowl-shaped bowl-like body connected to the first and second abutment plate bodies so that a gap is formed between the upper part and the back of the cow;
A belt body that is stretched from the first abutting plate body to the second abutting plate body across a region between the front leg and the belly of the cow;
An estrus detector provided on the rod and detecting that the cow is in estrus;
An estrus detection apparatus comprising: an output unit that outputs cow estrus information when the estrus detector detects cow estrus. The estrus detector is
Estrous behavior measuring means comprising at least one of an acceleration sensor for detecting the inclination of the cow's body and a vibration sensor for detecting the vibration of the cow's body;
When the number of times that the cow's body is detected to be tilted by the acceleration sensor and / or the number of times that the vibration of the cow's body is detected by the vibration sensor is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, The estrus detection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a determination unit configured to determine. The upper surface of the bowl-like body bulges upward in a convex shape,
The estrus detection device according to claim 1, wherein the estrus detection device is attached to an inner side of a protruding portion of the bowl-like body. Timing means for measuring the time since it was determined that the cow is in estrus by the determination means;
The estrus detection apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a light emitting unit that changes a light emission mode according to a time counted by the time measuring unit. The first contact plate body, the second contact plate body, or the belt body is subjected to a slip prevention process, according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Estrus detection device.

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