Users Manual 731224
Users Manual 731224
Users Manual 731224
2006-11-08 94118201.pdf
To update the cow calendar ................................................................... 32
To adapt the system ................................................................................................ 33
To increase or lower the number of cows on the activity list ............. 33
To make the system more attentive the days before and after
expected heat........................................................................................... 34
To avoid undesired alarms ..................................................................... 34
To set the activity tags in appropriate mode ........................................ 35
Activity Receiver ................................................................................................................................... 37
Product data ........................................................................................................................... 37
Article number.......................................................................................................... 37
Description ............................................................................................................... 37
General...................................................................................................... 37
Features .................................................................................................... 38
Technical data.......................................................................................................... 38
Activity Tag ........................................................................................................................................... 39
Product data ........................................................................................................................... 39
Article number.......................................................................................................... 39
Description ............................................................................................................... 39
General...................................................................................................... 39
Technical data.......................................................................................................... 40
Internal electronics .................................................................................... 40
Electrical characteristics ............................................................................ 40
Radio ......................................................................................................... 41
ALPRO ver 6.60/ Activity meter system................................................................................................ 43
Program description ............................................................................................................... 43
Extract from ALPRO, Program description .............................................................. 45
1:2 ACTIVITY ............................................................................................ 45
1:2:3 ACTIVITY TAG MODE ..................................................................... 46
1:2:4 ACTIVITY ALARMS.......................................................................... 47
1:2:5 CORRECT COW/TAG...................................................................... 48
4:3:3 RELATIVE YIELD AND ACTIVITY ................................................... 49
4:4 HIGH ACTIVITY COWS ...................................................................... 49
2006-11-08 94118201.pdf
5:1:7:6 ACTIVITY ALARM LIST ................................................................ 50
6:1:6 ACTIVITY ......................................................................................... 50
6:1:6:1 GENERAL ..................................................................................... 50
6:1:6:2 TAG ON/OFF................................................................................. 51
6:1:6:3 LAST SENDING ............................................................................ 51
6:1:6:4 FILTER SETTINGS ....................................................................... 51
6:1:6:4:1 SENSITIVITY.............................................................................. 51
6:1:6:4:2 ACCURACY ............................................................................... 52
6:1:6:4:3 BREED STATE........................................................................... 52
6:1:6:4:4 EXPECTED HEAT...................................................................... 52
6:1:6:4:5 GROUP DATA ............................................................................ 53
6:1:6:5 RF TIME DIAGNOSTICS .............................................................. 53
To set breeding attentions (remind codes) for activity ............................... 54
6:1:6:6 ATTENTIONS (MPC) .................................................................... 54
6:1:6:6:1 HIGH ACTIVITY ........................................................................ 54
6:1:6:6:2 NO RF SENDING ...................................................................... 56
6:1:6:6:3 RELATIVE ACTIVITY ................................................................ 56
2006-11-08 94118201.pdf
2006-11-08 94118201.pdf
ALPRO Activitymeter with RF interface
ALPRO Activitymeter
with RF interface
EC Declaration of Conformity
Name of product: ALPRO activity meter with RF interface
Type: 90650080
90651080
References:
SP Report No: 97F51867A (MA 9806-011)
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules and RSS-210 of the IC
Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not
cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
Information to user
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this
equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which
can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to
try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
General description
Introduction
The activity meter is a part of the ALPRO
system. ALPRO is an integrated,
computerized management system for
feeding and milk yield recording, in a loose
housing. Also breeding control is made easy
as the system includes a cow calendar. The
system is built up by modules and so are
the Instruction books.
Instruction books
ALPRO ver 6.60: General
Program description
Milking
Feeding
Tandem
Rotary
Midline
Calf feeder
Feed wagons
Identification
Sort system
In parlour feeding
Activity meter system
following questions:
• Is the cow pregnant?
• Are there other reasons for an increased
activity?
• Is the time from the last observed heat
right?
• Is the current milk yield lower just now?
• Is the feed consumption reduced?
If the answers indicate an approaching
heat, it's time to take a look at the cow, to
find out if she is in heat.
active
resting
The picture shows a cow's daily activity for ten days. The cow alternates between activity and rest in
a similar way day after day. But then, on the 20/10 her motion pattern differs. She doesn't rest as
usual,she is active for 18 hours through. This lack of resting hours is typical for the high active
periods.
When examined that day the cow was found in heat and she was then successfully inseminated.
(The picture comes from ALPRO Windows)
Heat Ovulation
Postheat
Preheat
Postheat
hours
Standing heat
The graph shows how the activity starts and increases during the pre-heat period. The actual activity
start time is shown. If the increase in activity is less obvious than in this specific case, the activity
meter will need some time to establish the increased activity. Experience has shown that the Activity
start time will be set between 1 and 4 hours before the standing heat (activity start interval)
Standing heat is the period when the cow allows mating (natural service)
The optimum insemination time is late in heat. It starts in the middle of the standing heat and lasts to
the start of the post heat.
Function
The activity meter system
The main components in the activity meter
system are:
• an activity tag (1) placed on a band
around the cow's neck
• a receiver(2) with an antenna (3)
1
3
• a processor (4)
The processor can be connected to a
computer in order to run the program
ALPRO Windows.
The activity tag contains a sensor which
detects movements. The movements are
registered and transmitted to the receiver
every hour. Every transmission contains
2 data from the latest 24-hour period.
The processor collects and stores all
in-coming data. Its main task - for activity
purposes - is to process activity data and
produce the activity list. Data for 24 hours
can be shown on the screen as activity data
4 or for 48 hours as an activity graph.
Acivity level 1 +
Cows between 50 and 60 will be marked +
This group contains both circles and
crosses, meaning that there is a mixture of
cows showing genuine high activity and
cows being false active in this group.
Also to the left of the limit 50 there are some
circles. These cows are genuine active but
the activity meter will not find them with the
default settings.
Start-up
Start up the Activity meter
system
A general start up including the following
four steps should be done before the
Activity meter system start up begins.
- Processor start up, as described in
ALPRO/General, chapter Start up.
- Introduction of cows to the system, as
described in ALPRO/General, chapter
Routine.
- Checking breeding parameters as
described in the Program description,
menu 6:1:3.
- Breeding data reported to the Cow
calendar, described in ALPRO Program
description, chapter 1:3 Breeding
The specific Activity meter system start up
includes:
• To state the antenna addresses
• To start the activity tags and hang them
on the cows.
————————————————————
System alarm for activity is by default set to
YES. It means that the system alarm will be
triggered - with sound and light - for activity
alarms.
Set to NO means that the activity alarms will
not be shown by sound or light. Still they
can be seen in menu 8.
Set NO only for large herds where other
system alarms might be drown among a
great number of activity alarms.
Operation
The program overview and how to handle
the processor is described in detail in the
Program description book.
The activity meter will assist you when
looking for cows in heat, but to get a good
result you have to update the system and
notice the alarms the system gives you. The
system is set to function with default
settings, but to make it suit your way of
working, you can adapt it by making some
own settings. In this chapter the following
topics will be described:
A. How to work with the activity meter
system
- to detect cows in heat among the high
active cows
- to notice and act on alarms
- to study activity data and graphs
- to make printouts
B. How to keep the system updated
- to update the cow calendar
- to keep up the tag numbers
C. How to adapt the system
Note! Adaptions of the system should only
be done after councelling a DeLaval
representative!
- to increase or lower the number of cows
on the activity list
- to make the system pay extra attention
to the cows at expected heat
- to avoid undesired alarms
- to set the tags in appropriate mode
Activity Receiver
Product data
Article number
Activity Receiver, complete:
- Activity receiver (1)
- Antenna (2)
- Magnet (3)
90651080 433 MHz
90651180 418 MHz
90672980 separate Antenna (2), complete
1 2
Description
General
The Activity Receiver is the link between the
Activity Tags, fixed to the cow neckbands,
and the ALPRO system processor, where
data from the Activity Tags are processed.
In other words, the RF (Radio Frequency)
part in the Activity Receiver receives the
messages that the Activity Tags send via
radio signals, checks the validity and, if the
messages are correct, sends them further
on to the ALPRO processor via the ALCOM
bus.
Features
• The circuit board works with three
different voltages. The digital part works
with 5 V, the RF part with 10 V, except the
receiver chip that works with 3 V. Supply
voltage is 12 V AC.
• The circuit board has two processors:
- A PIC-processor that processes what
comes in from the RF part.
- An 8051 processor, which has an
overall function (communication with the
ALPRO processor via the ALCOM bus).
• There are three terminals on the circuit
board:
- One for the ALCOM bus.
- One for electrical power supply.
- One for connection of the external
antenna.
• There are three LED:s
- One green for power on.
- One yellow for indication of
communication on the ALCOM bus.
- One red for indication of communication
going on internally between the PIC and
8051 processors.
• The circuit board has five jumpers for
setting the address on the ALCOM bus.
• A reset circuit functions as a watchdog
and performs a reset at power on.
Technical data
Current: 10–18 VAC
Power: 2 VA
Environmental specifiction
Temperature: 0–70 ºC
Humidity: 10–100 %RH
Dimensions: 150 x 110 x 70 mm
Weight: 420 g
Activity Tag
Product data
Article number
90650080 Activity tag, 433 MHz
90650180 Activity tag, 418 MHz
One activity tag per article No.
Delivered in a box containing 50 tags.
Description
General
The Activity Tag is a part of the Activity
Meter System. It detects and registers
movements.
The tag is battery driven. The battery has a
lifetime of approximately 10 years.
A small magnet is used to set the tag in ON
or OFF mode via a switch inside the tag.
Each tag has a unique identity.
The tag must be placed on the cow's
neckband at least five days before a heat
cycle begins.
We recommend that the tag then stays
permanently mounted on the cow.
Technical data
Battery Internal electronics
The Activity Tag contains following parts:
Switch
• Battery (with approximately 10 years
lifetime)
Antenna RF chip
Electrical characteristics
Storage temperature: -30°C – +85°C
Operating ratings:
- Temperature range: 0°C – +70°C
- Operating voltage: 2.7–3.3 V DC
Radio
Radio frequency transmitter works on 3 volt
and sends with:
433.92 MHz in Europe
418.00 MHz in USA and UK.
Valid frequency is marked on the tag
according to adjoining figure.
The message is sent one time each hour.
————————————————————
Warning! The battery contains lithium. Do
not dispose of these items without
complying with current environmental laws.
————————————————————
Program description
This is a short introduction to the ALPRO
program. Detailed information is found in
the book ALPRO, Program description,
where the processor with its display and key
sets is described. There you also find
information about menus, how to find the
functions desired and how to scroll to find all
information in that function
The processor is always in stand by mode.
When the display shows the vignette or is
dark you will get to the top level menu by
pressing any key. If the display shows a
function, you get back to the top level menu
by pressing the key ESC.
From the top level menu you find the
desired function by choosing alternatives
from the top level and sub levels. The
address to a function display is expressed
by the digits you'll have to press on the key
set to get to the function display in question.
The alternatives in the top level are the
following:
1 Cow data
2 Feeding data
3 Milking data
4 Attentions
5 Printouts
6 System data
7 Group selection
8 Alarm indication
1:2 ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY ✽ The activity information originates from the
1: ACT. GRAPH 5: CORRECT COW/TAGS Activity meter system.
2: ACTIVITY DATA
3: ACTIVITY TAG MODE The activity menu has 5 alternatives.
4. ACTIVITY ALARMS Besides showing activity data in graph and
numbers respectively, it has functions for
checking/changing activity tag mode and
checking/clearing activity alarms. The
function Correct cow/tags make it possible
to change the tag number if a cow is
connected to a wrong tag number in ALPRO
system
To study activity data and graphs
R
1:2:1 ACT. GRAPH
This function shows the activity for the last
ACT. GRAPH ✽
48 hours in an activity graph. It also displays
COW NO: 285
the hour for current time.
GROUP NO: 3
START TIME: For example: Assume there is a resting
ACT.LEVEL: 19 period (R) each day. After 24 hours there is
an increased activity (A). The activity is set
to + + + . Start time is set to 4–5 hours after
A we have detected the first hour of high
ACT. GRAPH ✽ activity.
COW NO: 285
GROUP NO: 3 If the activity data is older than 24 hours, no
START TIME: 10 activity graph will be shown. Instead the
ACT.LEVEL: +++ 19 message will be: ACT DATA TOO OLD.
restored.
Removing the NO ACTIVITY and NO RF
SENDING alarms
"This alarm" (CLEAR THIS ALARM) refers
to the alarm set in the first row. Choose
YES and press Enter to remove only this
type of alarm from the cow.
To remove all alarms on all cows set
CLEAR ALL ALARMS to YES and press
Enter. Make sure that the ALL-field is
selected on the first row.
One specific type of alarm selected on the
first row and CLEAR ALL ALARMS set to
YES, will remove this type of alarm from all
cows.
Removing 24 AND 48 HOURS NO RF
ALARM TYPE CAN´T BE CLEARED SENDING is not possible from this
CAN ONLY BE CLEARED BY A NEW display
ACTTAG SENDING
PRESS <ENTER> AND TRY AGAIN The 24 HOURS NO RF SENDING and 48
HOURS NO RF SENDING alarms are used
in Activity graph, function 1:2:1 and Activity
data, function 1:2:2. Therefore it is not
possible to clear these alarms. They will be
cleared only by a new sending from the
activity tag on that cow. If the user tries to
clear those alarms the NO RF SENDING
alarm will be cleared and the message
shown to the left will be displayed.
After pressing Enter or Escape the
ACTIVITY ALARMS display will appear
again.
The three sending alarms will be
automatically removed when a new sending
is received from that cow.
++, or +++.
If the high activity alarm is more than 24
hours old, it will be reported as (++). This
means that if a cow was reported with ++ at
5.00 pm one day, the report will say (++) at
5.00 pm the next day. After 48 hours the
alarm will be removed.
6:1:6 ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY ✽ The functions in this menu allows you to
1: GENERAL 5: RF TIME DIAG. configure the antennas and check the
2: RF ANTENNA activity tags.
3: LAST SENDING
4: FILTER SETTINGS
6:1:6:1 GENERAL
ANTENNA GENERAL ✽ Enter the number of antennas you have and
NUMBER OF ANTENNAS: 2 the start address.
START ADDRESS: 6
SYSTEM ALARM FOR ACTIVITY: YES The address range is 4 to 35 and the
default value is 6.
6:1:6:4:1 SENSITIVITY
FILTER SETTINGS ✽ The sensitivity parameter is set on system
SENSITIVITY basis. The setting can be overruled by
HOURS: 1 setting other levels for a group of cows in
display 6:1:6:4:5, GROUP DATA. The
sensitivity level for high activity can be set
between 1 and 10.
Sensivity level 1 means that the system
6:1:6:4:2 ACCURACY
FILTER SETTINGS ✽ The filter has three levels: 50 , 60 or 70.
ACCURACY Every level has a corresponding accuracy
+ 50 (99.996 %) expressed in %.
++ 60 ( 99.998 %)
+++ 70 ( 99.999 %) Default values are shown in the display, 50
corresponds to one plus sign, 60 to two plus
signs and 70 to three plus signs.
Each level can be adjusted upwards and
downwards by changing the activity level
value..