Dairymaster

Pmd Device Solutions Limited

Christopher Kinsella

John Gerard Daly

Edmond Patrick Harty

Myles Murray

Liam Eoghan Mullane

Stephen Cusack

Kevin Sweeney

Seán Kinsella

A device () for determining the mass flow rate of milk turbulently flowing with air in a pipe () in pulsed milk slugs comprises sampling a signal from a microphone () of the device () indicative of sonic signals produced by the milk flow. The sampled signals are read by a microprocessor () which applies a Fast Fourier Transform to the sampled signal to produce the frequency domain of the sampled signal. The microprocessor () is configured to compute the average energy value of the sampled signal in the frequency bandwidth of 6 kHz to 15 kHz during consecutive monitoring periods. The average energy values are inserted into a calibration equation, which may be a power law equation, a polynomial equation, a logarithmic equation or any other such suitable equation in order to convert the average energy value to a mass flow rate of the milk flowing through the pipeduring that predefined monitoring period. The total mass flow of milk flowing through the pipeline () during a period from Tto Tis determined by integrating the determined mass flow rate of the milk from the time Tto the time T. Disengagement of a milking cluster from the teats of an animal as a result of kick-off during milking is also determined when the monitored signal from the microphone () transitions from the signal indicative of milk flowing in pulsed slugs to a continuous relatively high energy noise signal indicative of air being continuously drawn through the pipeline.

Method and a device for determining the mass flow rate and the presence or absence of a liquid flowing in a pipe

A respiration monitoring system has deformation transducers on a flexible substrate arranged to adhere to a patient's torso. A processor receives signals in channels from the transducers and processes them to eliminate, reduce or compensate for noise arising from patient motion artefacts, to provide an output representative of respiration. The transducers have a size and a mutual location on the substrate so that a first transducer can overlie at least part of the 10th rib and a second transducer can overlie at least part of the 11th rib or the abdomen, and the processor processes data from the first transducer as being primarily representative of rib distending respiration and from the second transducer as being primarily representative of either diaphragm respiration or patient motion artefacts.

Method and device for respiratory monitoring

A monitoring method is performed by a digital processor while a subject is asleep or with little movement. The method includes receiving transducer signals for a subject and training a model for characteristics of a subject or subject group. The model is used in generating sleep data according to real-time correspondence and values of transducer signals including subject rib displacement, subject abdomen displacement, subject torso movement, and subject orientation. Combinations of the transducer inputs are used to determine features from which outputs such as an AHI score are determined. A feature matrix is normalized based on dynamically-generated positional epochs bordered by subject movements to new positions and used to provide a normalization matrix.

Apparatus and method for detection of dysfunctional breathing

A device () attached to the neck () of an animal () comprises an accelerometer () which produces first and second signals indicative of the raised and lowered state of the head () of the animal () and movement of the animal (). A microprocessor () in the device () processes the first and second signals to determine if the animal is ruminating, resting, feeding or in a highly active state during respective second predefined time periods of approximately 15 minutes duration. Data indicative of the ruminating, resting, feeding and the highly active state of the animal is stored by the microprocessor () in the device () and is periodically wirelessly communicated to a base station computer which further processes the data to determine various health states of the animal.

Method, a device and a system for determining a state of an animal

The mass flow rate of milk flowing in a pipe in pulsed milk slugs is determined by sampling a signal from a microphone indicative of sonic signals produced by the milk flow. A microprocessor applies a Fast Fourier Transform to the sampled signal to produce the frequency domain of the sampled signal. The microprocessor computes the average energy value of the sampled signal in a relevant frequency band during consecutive monitoring periods. The average energy values are inserted into a calibration equation to convert the average energy value to a mass flow rate. The total mass flow of milk flowing through the pipeline during a period T-Tis determined by integrating the determined mass flow rate of milk from T-T. Disengagement of a milking cluster from the animal teats during milking is determined when the monitored microphone signal transitions to a continuous relatively high energy noise signal indicative of air.

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Listowel, Ireland

Christopher Kinsella