WO2026005683A1

WO2026005683A1 - System and method for assigning an unassigned rtls tag

Info

Publication number: WO2026005683A1
Application number: PCT/SE2025/050580
Authority: WO
Inventors: Erik Svensson
Original assignee: DeLaval Holding AB
Current assignee: DeLaval Holding AB
Priority date: 2024-06-28
Filing date: 2025-06-18
Publication date: 2026-01-02
Anticipated expiration: 2026-12-28

Abstract

A system (24) for assigning an unassigned RTLS tag (6) to an animal identity, represented by an RFID tag (4) on a specific animal individual (2'). Real-time location data is obtained from a real-time location system/RTLS (18). Animal identification data is obtained from an animal identification system (14) comprising a first RFID reader device (10). The RTLS (18) covers a monitored area (22) including the first RFID reader device (10). A control arrangement (26) is configured to obtain a first timestamp associated with a reading of the RFID tag (4) by the first RFID reader device (10), obtain a second timestamp associated with the unassigned RTLS (18) locating the unassigned RTLS tag (6) in a first predefined area (40) associated with the first RFID reader device, and establish a correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity if a predetermined relationship between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is fulfilled, and assign the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity of the specific animal individual (2') based on the established correlation.

Description

System and Method for Assigning an Unassigned RTLS Tag

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technical field relates to a system for assigning an unassigned RTLS tag (real-time location system) tag to an animal identity being represented by an RFID tag (radio-frequency identification) tag on a specific animal individual. The unassigned RTLS tag is carried by the specific animal individual and is separate from the RFID tag on the specific animal individual. The system for assigning the RTLS tag to the animal identity is configured to obtain real-time location data from a real-time location system (RTLS), which is receiving signals (beacons/blinks) transmitted from the unassigned RTLS tag, and to obtain animal identification data from an animal identification system configured to read the RFID tag on the specific animal individual. The animal identification system comprises at least a first RFID reader device configured for reading the RFID tag.

The technical field further relates to a computer-implemented method for assigning an unassigned RTLS tag to an animal identity being represented by an RFID tag on a specific animal individual.

BACKGROUND

Advances in dairy farming technology have enabled the implementation of real-time location systems (RTLS) that track the movements and locations of animals in real-time within a monitored area at a farm. RTLS uses RTLS tags carried by the animals and several RLTS anchors (receivers), which are placed strategically around the monitored area to pick up signals transmitted from the RTLS tags. Thus, RTLS provides real-time location data on the current whereabouts of each specific animal individual carrying the RTLS tag within the monitored area. The real-time location data on each animal is typically stored with timestamps, in a database of a herd/farm management system, to enable analysis/reporting on the animals, such as time spent in various zones on the farm.

The RTLS hereby relies on radio frequency (RF) communication, such as ultra-wideband (UWB) technology or Bluetooth technology. RTLS provides real-time location data on the animals’ identities and the animals’ positions in real-time based on the signals picked up from the RTLS tags carried by the animals. The signal sending capability of RTLS tags is provided by a transmitter, which requires battery power to send signals at regular intervals. Accordingly, RTLS tags may also be referred to as “active” tags. Each active RTLS tag has a unique identification number, and in use at a farm, each RTLS tag is activated and attached to a specific animal individual, wherein the unassigned RTLS tag’s unique identification number is required to be assigned to the specific animal individual (animal number) to which the RTLS tag is attached.

Accordingly, each RTLS tag to be carried by an animal individual is to be assigned to the identity of a respective specific animal individual. The identity of each animal individual is commonly associated with a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, which is already carried by the animal individual. The task of assigning an unassigned RTLS tag to the identity of a specific animal individual (animal number) involves some manual work.

A known method for assigning RTLS tags to the identities of animal individuals, involves the use of a handheld device for reading the tags. Thus, the handheld device is utilised for reading the RFID tag, which retrieves and displays an animal record on the specific animal individual carrying the RFID tag. The unassigned RTLS tag is thereafter activated and the unique identification number of the RTLS tag is also read by the handheld device. Then the unique identification number of the unassigned RTLS tag intended for the animal individual carrying the RFID tag is entered in the animal record of the specific animal individual, whereby the handheld device with the updated animal record is synced with a herd/farm management database containing all the animal records on the animal individuals.

This can be a time consuming and cumbersome task, in particular on larger farms with many animals, where several unassigned RTLS tags are assigned to equally many animal individuals on a regular basis. In addition, the manual task of assigning RTLS tags to the animals is associated with human error due to for instance inexperienced users of devices intended for this purpose and deviations from instructions/protocols for assigning such tags.

US11751537 discloses a system and method for automatically matching a sensor device attached to an animal with an ID tag attached to the animal, wherein a reader device, located in or alongside a passage of an animal enclosure, transmits a signal toward the animal in the passage that triggers the ID tag to transmit ID information, and a monitoring device in communication with the reader device receives the ID information from the reader device, receives sensor device information from the sensor device including a sensor device identity, and determines that the ID tag and the sensor device are attached to a same animal based on time information associated with the ID information and the sensor device information. W02022/003666 discloses a tag assignment system, comprising a processing circuitry being communicatively connected to a data repository comprising records, each of which (i) being associated with a respective distinct animal of a plurality of animals, and (ii) including a Unique Animal Identifier (UAI) associated with the respective distinct animal; the processing circuitry is configured to: substantially simultaneously: (i) obtain an ID reading of an animal identification tag attached to a given animal of the animals from a first tag reading device, wherein the ID reading including the UAI uniquely identifying the given animal, and (ii) obtain a tag reading of a second tag attached to the given animal from a second tag reading device, the tag reading including tag identification information uniquely identifying the second tag; and cause update of the data repository to assign the tag identification information to a given record of the records associated with the UAI.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the invention to facilitate the assigning of an unassigned RTLS tag to an animal identity.

According to the invention, the object is achieved by a system for assigning an unassigned RTLS tag to an animal identity being represented by an RFID tag on a specific animal individual, wherein the unassigned RTLS tag is carried by the specific animal individual and is separate from the RFID tag on the specific animal individual. The system for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity is configured to obtain real-time location data from a real-time location system (RTLS) configured to receive signals transmitted from the unassigned RTLS tag and to obtain animal identification data from an animal identification system configured to read the RFID tag on the specific animal individual. The animal identification system comprises at least a first RFID reader device configured for reading the RFID tag and the RTLS comprises a plurality of RTLS anchors, which cover a monitored area including the first RFID reader device. The system for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity hereby comprises a control arrangement configured to:

- obtain a first timestamp associated with a reading of the RFID tag on the specific animal individual by the first RFID reader device,

- obtain a second timestamp associated with the RTLS locating the unassigned RTLS tag in a first predefined area associated with the first RFID reader device,

- establish a correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual if a predetermined relationship between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is fulfilled, wherein the predetermined relationship is fulfilled if a time difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is less than or equal to a threshold time difference At, and

- assign the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual based on the established correlation.

In this way, it is ensured that the unassigned RTLS tag is, more or less, automatically assigned to the specific animal individual. No handheld device is required for reading the RFID tag and the unassigned RTLS tag and accordingly, other than attaching the unassigned RTLS tag to the specific animal individual (and possibly activating it), no further manual work for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity is required. Put differently, the system for assigning the RTLS tag is configured to determine, by the RTLS, that the unassigned RLTS tag is located at the same position or at least approximately the same position (first predefined area) as the first RFID reader device, at the same time or at least approximately the same time (the time difference between the first and second timestamps < the threshold time difference) as the RFID tag is read by the first RFID reader device. The system for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag is preferably fully automatic, yet it may - if deemed appropriate - include a confirmation from a user of the assignment as established by the system. Thus, the system assigns the RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual based on the correlation established by the control arrangement. As a result, the above-mentioned object is achieved.

According to a further aspect, the object is achieved by a computer-implemented method for assigning an unassigned RTLS tag to an animal identity being represented by an RFID tag on a specific animal individual, wherein the unassigned RTLS tag is carried by the specific animal individual and is separate from the RFID tag on the specific animal individual. The method comprises the steps of:

- reading the RFID tag on the specific animal individual by a first RFID reader device,

- obtaining a first timestamp associated with the step of reading the RFID tag on the specific animal individual,

- locating the unassigned RTLS tag with a real-time location system (RTLS) in a first predefined area associated with the first RFID reader device,

- obtaining a second timestamp associated with the step of locating the unassigned RTLS tag in the first predefined area,

- establishing a correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual if a predetermined relationship between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is fulfilled, wherein the predetermined relationship is fulfilled if a time difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is less than or equal to a threshold time difference At, and

- assigning the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual based on the established correlation.

As discussed above with reference to the system, the above-mentioned object is also achieved by the computer-implemented method.

The system for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity is implemented at a farm, such as at a dairy farm for dairy animals. Each animal at the farm, such as each cow at a dairy farm, has its unique animal identity (animal/cow number). The animal identity is represented by the RFID tag attached to the animal. RFID tags are commonly utilised on dairy farms for animal identification systems based on radio-frequency identification RFID. Thus, animal identification systems based on RFID are known. Briefly, such identification systems use passive RFID tags. Passive RFID tags rely on external radio signals from the RFID reader device that activate/charge the RFID tags, as they enter the reader’s range, wherein the RFID tags respond by transmitting their unique identification numbers to the RFID reader device. RFID tags are small, cheap, and battery-free (passive) tags attached to the animals, typically as ear tags. The RFID system provides identification of animal individuals as they pass within the reading range of the RFID reader device. The data collected by the animal identification system at a read event includes the RFID tag identification number with timestamps and the identity of the relevant RFID reader device performing the read event. The data from the read event is stored in a database of a herd/farm management system, which can be accessed through various interfaces and that enables a user/farmer to monitor and manage the animals at the farm.

Most or all animal individuals at the farm, such as cows at a dairy farm, can furthermore be tracked with a real-time location system, RTLS, which displays their current respective realtime locations on a map of the farm via one or more suitable interfaces. RTLS is also known as such. The RTLS for tracking the animal individuals, such as cows, in the present invention comprises active RTLS tags. The active RTLS tags transmit signals periodically to a plurality of fixed RTLS anchors (receivers) strategically placed within a monitored area. The RTLS tags are battery-powered devices carried by the animals that send periodic signals, which include a unique identification number of each RTLS tag. The transmitted signal is received by the plurality of fixed RTLS anchors surrounding the monitored area. The RTLS anchors receive the signal and relay it to a central processing unit of the RLTS, which determines the real-time location of each RTLS tag based on for instance triangulation or tri-/m unilateral calculation techniques, such as Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA).

The monitored area of a farm is typically divided into several larger sized predefined zones, such as one or more milking area(s), holding area(s), feed table(s), cubicles, walking alley(s), and/or sort-treatment area(s). It is also possible to create/define smaller sized predefined areas, within the zones, such as the first predefined area, which then forms part of a larger zone or monitored area, in which the RTLS track the animal individuals. The RLTS tag may be an ear tag or tag carried around the neck of the animal individual. At least when a new unassigned RTLS tag is to be taken into use, it must be assigned to the animal identity. Furthermore, RTLS tags can be reused by different animal individuals, which requires such reused/unassigned RTLS tags to be assigned to new specific animal individuals.

The correlation to be established is a correlation between the known animal identity represented by the RFID tag of the specific animal individual and the unassigned RTLS tag carried by the specific animal individual. That is, if the predetermined relationship between the first and second timestamps is fulfilled, the correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual is established. The predetermined relationship becomes stronger as the time difference between the first and second timestamps becomes smaller, whereby the established correlation increases or approaches 1 (approaches a 100% match). A user/farmer may hereby select or adjust the threshold time difference At to stricter values to strengthen the predetermined relationship and increase the correlation. The correlation also depends on the size of the first predefined area associated with the first RFID reader device, which is further described below.

The control arrangement may form part of the herd management system provided as software run on a personal computer and/or in a cloud environment. The herd management software may also be utilised for presenting the established correlation to the user/farmer. The control arrangement hereby comprises one or more output devices such as a computer screen and/or a handheld communication device e.g. in the form of a tablet computer or mobile telephone. Based on the established correlation, the user/farmer may be given a chance of confirming that the control arrangement of the system should assign the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual e.g., via a computer keyboard and/or a graphical user interface on the handheld communication device. Alternatively, or additionally, based on for instance the strength of the established correlation, the control arrangement may be configured to automatically assign the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual (without any confirmation from a user). Such fully automatic assignment may be presented to the user/farmer for information purposes. An animal database includes the assigned RTLS tags for the respective animal identities of the animal individuals at the farm. The animal database forms part of the herd management system.

The first timestamp relates to the reading of the RFID tag on the specific animal individual by the first RFID reader device. The first timestamp is provided by the first RFID reader device. Thus, the first timestamp is created and stored as the first RFID reader device is reading the RFID tag and its unique identification number. The control arrangement obtains the first timestamp from the animal identification system and/or the control arrangement obtains the first timestamp by processing the data received from the animal identification system. The second timestamp relates to the RTLS locating the unassigned RTLS tag in the first predefined area, wherein the second timestamp relates to at least one signal sent from the RLTS tag therein. Thus, the second timestamp is given by the signal(s) transmitted within the first predefined area and includes the unique identification number of the unassigned RTLS tag. The control arrangement obtains the second timestamp from the RTLS and/or the control arrangement obtains the second timestamp by processing the real-time location data received from the RTLS.

The control arrangement may be configured to determine whether the unassigned RTLS tag is present in the first predefined area. Thus, the control arrangement, as such, may determine whether an unassigned RTLS tag is present in the first predefined area, or the control arrangement may receive information from the RTLS that the unassigned RTLS tag is present in the first predefined area. Accordingly, in the former case, the control arrangement includes coordinate data of the first predefined area and in the latter case, the RTLS includes coordinate data of the first predefined area.

The first predefined area associated with the first RFID reader device is specified/defined in the control arrangement and/or in the RTLS. Position data of the first predefined area is typically specified/defined in coordinates on a map of the monitored area. The first predefined area is preferably a predefined area surrounding the first RFID reader device and/or a central point/position of the first RFID reader device combined with predefined distances or a predefined radius from the central point/position of the first RFID reader device. The first predefined area should be of such limited size, such as in a range of two to ten square meters, that it doesn’t capture signals from too many animals at a time since this may make the correlation weaker. The first predefined area should however be made big enough to ensure the reading of at least one signal from the unassigned RTLS tag within the first predefined area as the animal is read by the first RFID reader device. The size on the first predefined area may for instance depend on the animals’ size, how often the periodic signal from the RTLS tag is sent, and/or the normal walking speed of the animals at the first RFID reader device. It may also depend on the number of animals that occupy the general area around the first RFID reader device. Thus, if the general area is crowded or more dispersed around the first RFID reader device. The predetermined relationship will in general be stronger and the established correlation higher when the first predefined area is made smaller, but the predefined area should exhibit such a size that the RTLS can capture at least one signal transmitted from the unassigned RTLS tag of the animal as it’s standing or walking past the first RFID reader device.

The present system and/or the present method may be provided with data input from a user that facilitate the assigning of the RTLS tag. As previously mentioned, the system may prompt a user for a confirmation of the assignment, which may depend on the strength of the predetermined relationship(s) and the correlation established by the control arrangement. Thus, a weaker predetermined relationship providing a lower correlation can require user confirmation of the assignment, whereas stronger predetermined relationship(s) providing higher correlation(s) may not require this. In addition, inputs from a user may involve a selection of a desired size on the first predefined area. The selection on the size depends on the various aspects mentioned above and/or the specific layout of the farm at the monitored area around the first RFID reader device. However, the present system and method may also operate without any user inputs, wherein default values or automatically adjusted values are defined that facilitate the assigning of the animal identity to the unassigned RTLS tag.

RFID reader devices, such as the first RFID reader device, are typically provided in connection with various automatic gates, such as sorting gates or selection gates arranged for guiding animal individuals or groups of animals to their respective destination areas. The first RFID reader device is preferably an RFID reader device, at which the animals frequently present themselves, such as an RFID reader device arranged at a sorting gate in an exit alley from a milking area or in connection with a selection gate for allowing animal access to an automatic milking system.

The predetermined relationship is fulfilled if the first and second timestamps exhibit a maximum time difference within the range of threshold time difference At, such as timestamps that exhibit a time difference At of at most ten seconds. The threshold time difference At may also be stricter values, such as timestamps that exhibit a threshold time difference At of at most five seconds or at most three seconds. The predetermined relationship is fulfilled to various degrees depending on the time difference between the first and second timestamps, wherein a lower time difference between the timestamps indicates a stronger fulfilment of the predetermined relationship and consequently higher correlations.

According to an embodiment, the system also comprises the real-time location system and the animal identification system.

According to some embodiments, the real-time location data from the real-time location system is provided in the form of RTLS data packages, each RTLS data package comprising RTLS tag unique identification number, RTLS timestamp data, and RTLS position data. The control arrangement is configured to:

- compare the RTLS position data from RTLS data packages related to the unassigned RTLS tag carried by the specific animal individual with position data related to the first predefined area, and based thereon

- associate the RTLS timestamp data of a specific RTLS data package from the unassigned RTLS tag carried by the specific animal individual with the second timestamp, if the RTLS tag is in the first predefined area. In this manner, the control arrangement is able to ascertain the second timestamp by comparing position data and timestamps.

According to some embodiments, the first predefined area is a fraction of the monitored area covered by the plurality of RTLS anchors, wherein the first predefined area surrounds the first RFID reader device. As previously mentioned, the predefined area can also be selected or adjusted by a user, depending on the circumstances, but it’s preferably of smaller size and surrounding the RFID reader device to achieve stronger relationships/higher correlations between the unassigned RTLS tag and the RFID tag reading. The first predefined area may be as small as one square meter, and it is preferably less than ten square meters. However, in many cases, the first predefined area is in a range of two to six square meters. The RTLS is also provided for ordinary RTLS tasks, such as tracking animal individuals within a monitored area including different zones, while also being utilised for tracking all the animal individuals presenting themselves at the first RFID reader device in the first predefined area.

According to an embodiment, the control arrangement is configured to:

- obtain several first timestamps associated with the reading of the RFID tag on the specific animal individual by the first RFID reader device,

- obtain several second timestamps associated with the real-time location system locating the unassigned RTLS tag in the first predefined area, - establish the correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual based on the predetermined relationship between the first timestamps and the second timestamps being fulfilled several times, and

In this manner, the system establishes the correlation based on several predetermined relationships between first and second timestamps related to the RFID tag to ensure more reliable or higher correlations and thereby more reliable/accurate decision basis in the assigning of the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual.

This approach provides for multiple readings of the RFID tag by the first RFID reader device and multiple locating’s of the unassigned RTLS tag within the first predefined area. Such multiple readings and locating’s are performed at different occasions when the specific animal individual presents itself at the first RFID reader device.

According to an embodiment, the animal identification system comprises a second RFID reader device configured for reading the RFID tag, wherein the plurality of RTLS anchors further cover a second predefined area associated with the second RFID reader. The control arrangement is configured to:

- obtain one or more further first timestamps associated with a reading of the RFID tag on the specific animal individual by the second RFID reader device, and

- obtain one or more further second timestamps associated with the real-time location system locating the unassigned RTLS tag in the second predefined area.

The control arrangement is configured to:

- establish the correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual based also on the predetermined relationship between the further first timestamps and the further second timestamps also being fulfilled, and

In this manner, the system is also establishing the correlation based on further fulfilment of the predetermined relationship between timestamps, including the further first and further second timestamps related to the RFID tag and the unassigned RTLS tag to ensure stronger relationships/higher correlations and thereby more accurate decision basis in the assigning of the RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual. The use of timestamps related also to the second RFID reader device and the second predefined area provide further decision basis in addition to the timestamps related to the first RFID reader device and the first predefined area.

According to a further embodiment, the control arrangement is configured to:

- assign the unassigned RTLS tag to the animal identity of the specific animal individual, if the correlation has been established based on a minimum number of times that the predetermined relationship is fulfilled, such as at least two, at least three, at least four, or at least five times. In this manner, the unassigned RTLS tag is assigned to the animal identity of the specific animal individual based on the predetermined number of fulfilments of the predetermined relationship in establishing the correlation. In this way, the system can improve overall accuracy and provide higher or at least a more reliable correlation before the RTLS tag is assigned to the animal identity. Additionally, the user/farmer may set or select a desired minimum number of times to ensure confidence in the assigning.

According to a further embodiment, the first predefined area is associated with a first confined physical area associated with the first RFID reader device and has a limited space configured for one animal individual only and/or the second predefined area is associated with a second confined physical area associated with the second RFID reader device and has a limited space configured for one animal individual only. The first RFID reader device and/or the second RFID reader device is/are hereby arranged to read the RFID tag of one single animal individual at a time. In this manner, the system can reduce the number of weak correlations or errors caused by multiple animals being present in the same first/second predefined area and thereby improve overall system accuracy.

Accordingly, it is ensured that only one animal individual is present at the first and/or second RFID reader device and that thus, only one animal individual is present in the first and/or second predefined area, which has the advantage that first and second timestamps relate to only one animal individual and/or further first and further second timestamps relate to only one animal individual. This improves accuracy and establishes higher correlations for assigning the RTLS tag to the specific animal individual based on the first and second timestamps and further first and further second timestamps, respectively.

According to a further embodiment, the first and/or second confined physical area/s comprises one of an animal passageway, an automatic gate, such as a sort or selection gate, a milking position in a milking stall, an automatic milking station, and an animal feed station. As previously mentioned, an automatic gate may be a sort or selection gate arranged for guiding animal individuals or groups of animals to their respective destination areas. According to the invention, the predetermined relationship is fulfilled if the time difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is less than or equal to the threshold time difference. Thus, it is ensured that the RFID tag on the specific animal individual and the unassigned RTLS tag carried by the specific animal are present in the same place at the same time. The threshold time difference may be a default time difference, such as a maximum of five seconds between the first timestamp and the second timestamp. In addition, or alternatively, the threshold time difference may be set by the user providing user inputs on either shorter or longer threshold time differences to make the predetermined relationship stricter or more relaxed. However, the threshold time difference should not exceed ten seconds, since this would typically give too many RTLS readings from other animals passing through the confined physical areas of the first/second predefined areas. A suitable threshold time difference is preferably in a range of two to five seconds.

According to some embodiments, the RTLS tag is configured to send a signal at regular time intervals, such as every two seconds, to be received by at least some of the plurality of RTLS anchors of the real-time location system. In this manner, the RTLS locates the RTLS tag at a refresh rate corresponding to the regular time intervals for determining its position.

According to some embodiments, the threshold time difference corresponds to a time period between a predetermined number of signals sent by the RTLS tag, such as between at least two signals or three signals sent by the RTLS tag. In this manner, it is ensured that the RFID tag on the specific animal individual and the unassigned RTLS tag carried by the specific animal are established as present in the same place at (approximately) the same time.

Further features of, and advantages with, the invention will become apparent when studying the appended claims and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects and/or embodiments of the invention, including its features and advantages, will be readily understood from the examples discussed in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. 1a and 1b schematically illustrate an animal individual,

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a top view of a farm,

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a control arrangement, Fig. 4 schematically illustrates a computer-implemented method for assigning an RTLS tag to an animal identity of a specific animal individual, and

Fig. 5 illustrates embodiments of a computer-readable storage medium.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects and/or embodiments of the invention will now be described more fully. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Well-known functions or constructions will not necessarily be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

Figs. 1a and 1b schematically illustrate an animal individual 2. The animal individual 2 is distinguishable from other animal individuals at a farm where many animals are held. Accordingly, the animal individual 2 has an animal identity and the animal individual 2 is a specific animal individual 2’. The animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ is represented by a passive RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual 2’. The passive RFID tag 4 is configured to be read by one or more RFID reader devices of an animal identification system. In Figs. 1a and 1b, the passive RFID tag 4 is attached to an ear. However, the passive RFID tag 4 may be attached to animals in any other suitable manner that allows reading of the RFID tag 4, such as around a neck of the animal individual 2. Other animal individuals at the farm have their particular animal identities, which are represented by respective RFID tags.

The specific animal individual 2’ carries an active RTLS tag 6. The active RTLS tag 6 is configured to periodically transmit signals to RTLS anchors (receivers) of a real-time location system, RTLS. In the embodiment of Figs. 1a and 1b, the active RTLS tag 6 is carried around a neck of the specific animal individual 2’. However, the RTLS tag 6 may be carried by the specific animal individual 2’ in any other suitable manner, such as an ear tag, that allows the RTLS to receive the transmitted signals from the active RTLS tag 6. The active RTLS tag 6 is separate from the passive RFID tag 4. This means that the RTLS tag 6 and the RFID tag 4 are separate units that are attached and handled separately. Each of them may have its respective way of being attached to the specific animal individual 2’ or they are both attached to the specific animal individual 2’ via the same or similar means, such as around the neck or in the ear(s).

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a top view of a farm 8. The farm 8 is a dairy farm, housing a number of animal individuals 2. The number of animal individuals 2 are animal individuals as discussed above with reference to Fig. 1. Accordingly, in the following reference is also made to the discussion of Fig. 1.

Each animal individual 2 at the farm 8 carries its RFID tag 4 for identifying the animal individual 2 by being read by first and/or second RFID reader device(s) 10, 12 of an animal identification system 14 arranged at the farm 8. Consequently, the animal identification system 14 is configured to read the RFID tags 4 on the animal individuals 2. The RFID tag 4 is utilised by the animal identification system 14 for identification of the relevant animal individual 2, such as the specific animal individual 2’ in connection with one or more of milking, feeding, sorting/selecting and treatment. Sorting of animal individuals 2 at the farm 8 involves one or more automatic sort gates 16, 16’.

Also, a real-time location system, RTLS 18 is arranged at the farm 8. The RTLS 18 is configured to receive the signals transmitted from the active RTLS tags 6 carried by the animal individuals 2 at the farm 8, such as the specific animal individual 2’. The signals (indicated with dash-dotted arrows in Fig. 2) are received by anchors 20 of the RTLS 18. The anchors 20 are arranged to cover a total area 22, also referred to as the monitored area 22 (indicated with a large broken line rectangle in Fig. 2). The monitored area 22 may only cover parts of the farm 8, typically, parts of the farm 8 where the animals are housed. Based on the received signals, the RTLS 18 is configured to track animal positions in real-time within the monitored area 22, which includes the first RFID reader device and second RFID reader device, and to provide animal position data related to animal individuals 2 within the monitored area 22.

The farm 8 is provided with a system 24 for assigning any unassigned RTLS tag 6 to an animal identity according to the invention. As discussed above, the animal identity is represented by the RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual 2’. For the sake of clarity, the discussion herein focuses on assigning an unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of one specific animal individual 2’. However, the same teachings apply to the assigning of a plurality of unassigned RTLS tags 6 to further animal identities represented by RFID tags 4 on further animal individuals 2 at the farm 8. The system 24 for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to an animal identity comprises a control arrangement 26. The control arrangement 26 may form part of a herd/farm management system provided as software run on a personal computer and/or in a cloud environment. The control arrangement 26 is configured to communicate with the RTLS 18 and the animal identification system 14. Alternatively, or additionally, the control arrangement 26 may form part the RTLS 18 and/or the animal identification system 14. The control arrangement 26 is hereby configured to:

- obtain a first timestamp associated with a reading of the RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual 2’ by the first RFID reader device 10,

- obtain a second timestamp associated with the RTLS locating the unassigned RTLS tag 6 in a first predefined area 40 associated with the first RFID reader device 10,

- establish a correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ if a predetermined relationship between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is fulfilled, wherein the predetermined relationship is fulfilled if a time difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is less than or equal to a threshold time difference At, and

- assign the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ based on the established correlation.

Thus, the system 24 is configured to determine, utilising the RTLS 18, that the unassigned RLTS tag 6 to be assigned to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ is at the first RFID reader device 10, in the first predefined area 40, at the same time or at least approximately the same time, and accordingly, that the unassigned RTLS tag 6 is correlated with RFID tag and can be assigned to the specific animal individual 2’. See further below with reference to Fig. 3.

The user, such as the farmer or animal handlers may provide inputs to, and receive outputs from, the control arrangement 26 via any suitable interface such as a personal computer 58, a screen, a keyboard, a touch screen, a handheld communication device 60 such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer. For instance, outputs from the control arrangement 26 to the user, such as the farmer or the animal handlers can be a prompt for a confirmation that the unassigned RTLS tag 6 can be assigned to the specific animal individual 2’. The prompt may include that the control arrangement provides an output on the established correlation, i.e. a likelihood that the unassigned RTLS tag 6 belongs to the specific animal individual 2’. Input to the control arrangement 26 by the farmer or the animal handlers may be a confirmation that the unassigned RTLS tag 6 is to be assigned to the specific animal individual 2’.

The farm 8 shown in Fig. 2 and the monitored area 22 are shown purely as examples. Included in Fig. 2 are a milking area or stall 28 with separate milking positions 30, a holding area 32 arranged before the milking area/stall 28, an animal pathway 34 leading from the milking area/stall 28, a separation area 36, and two resting and/or feeding areas 38, 38’, one each for one group out of two groups of animals. Alternatively, the farm 8 and the monitored area 22 may include only some of these zones or areas 28, 32, 36, 38, 38’ and/or 34. The farm 8 and/or the monitored area 22 may also include further areas and/or zones.

A sort gate 16 is configured to automatically sort animals to either of the two resting and feeding areas 38, 38’. Another sort gate 16’ directs animals to be separated into the separation/treatment area 36.

The system 24 for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ is configured to obtain real-time location data from the RTLS 18. The system 24 is also configured to obtain animal identification data from the animal identification system 14.

According to the shown embodiment, the system 24 comprises the RTLS 18 and the animal identification system 14. The animal identification system 14 hereby comprises at least a first RFID reader device 10 configured for reading the RFID tag 4. The RTLS 18 comprises a plurality of RTLS anchors 20, which cover the monitored area 22 including the first predefined area 40 associated with the first RFID reader device 10. In Fig. 2, the first predefined area 40 is schematically indicated with a broken line rectangle at the first RFID reader device 10. In the example of Fig. 2, the first RFID reader device 10 is arranged in connection with a sort gate 16 for directing animals to different resting and feeding areas 38, 38’.

The first predefined area 40 is significantly smaller than, more specifically a fraction of the total monitored area 22 covered by the plurality of RTLS anchors 20. In the situation shown in Fig. 2, the specific animal individual 2’ has entered the first predefined area 40 surrounding the first RFID reader device 10. The first RFID reader device 10 reads the RFID tag 4 of the specific animal individual 2’. From this reading event, the control arrangement 26 obtains the first timestamp associated with the reading of the RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual 2’ by the first RFID reader device 10. Some of the anchors 20 of the RTLS 18 receive the signals sent at regular intervals by the unassigned RTLS tag 6 carried by the specific animal individual 2’. From this, the control arrangement 26 obtains the second timestamp from the RTLS locating the unassigned RTLS tag 6 in the first predefined area 40. The control arrangement 26 performs a comparison of the first and second timestamps, and if the predetermined relationship between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is fulfilled (the time difference is less than or equal to the threshold time difference At), a correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ is established.

Based on the established correlation, the user/farmer may be prompted to confirm the assignment of the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ e.g., via a keyboard of the personal computer 58 and/or a graphical user interface on the handheld communication device 60. Alternatively, or additionally, based on the strength of predetermined relationship(s) providing for instance an established high correlation, the control arrangement 26 may fully automatically assign the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’. Such automatic assignment may be presented to the farmer for information purposes on the personal computer 58 or the handheld communication device 60.

According to some embodiments, such as in the illustrated example, the animal identification system 14 further comprises a second RFID reader device 12 configured for reading the RFID tag 4. The plurality of RTLS anchors 20 further cover a second predefined area 42 associated with the second RFID reader device 12. In Fig. 2, the second predefined area 42 is schematically indicated with a broken line rectangle. In the example of Fig. 2, the second RFID reader device 12 is arranged in connection with a sort gate 16’ for directing animal individuals into the separation/treatment area 36.

The second predefined area 42 is also significantly smaller than, thus a fraction of the total monitored area 22 covered by the plurality of RTLS anchors 20. None of the first and second predefined areas 40, 42 are limited to any particular geometric shape. Their purposes are to ensure that an animal individual 2 presenting itself at the first RFID reader device 10 or the second RFID reader device 12 can be positioned by the RTLS 18 receiving at least one signal from the unassigned RTLS tag 6, without falsely positioning several other animal individuals’ RTLS tags at the first RFID reader device 10 or the second RFID reader device 12. Each of the first and second predefined areas 40, 42 is sized and placed accordingly, at each of the first and second RFID reader device 10, 12, respectively.

The first predefined area 40 is associated with a first confined physical area at the first RFID reader device 10. Thus, the first confined physical area has a limited space configured for allowing one animal individual 2 at a time to pass by the first RFID reader device 10. Thus, the first RFID reader device 10 is arranged to read the RFID tag 4 of one animal individual 2 as it passes by the first RFID reader device 10. In the embodiments of Fig. 2, the first confined physical area is arranged within a portion of the animal pathway 34 having a width such that only one animal individual 2 at a time can pass the first RFID reader device 10. In this sense the portion of the animal pathway 34 at the first RFID reader device 10 is a confined physical area.

The second predefined area 42 is associated with a second confined physical area associated with the second RFID reader device 12 and has also a limited space configured for one animal individual only. Thus, the second RFID reader device 12 is arranged to read the RFID tag 4 of one animal individual 2 at a time. In the embodiments of Fig. 2, also the second confined physical area is arranged within a portion of the animal pathway 34. Again, the animal pathway 34 has a width such that only one animal individual 2 at a time can pass, in this case, the second RFID reader device 12.

Alternatively, the first and/or second confined physical area/s comprises one of a milking position 30 in a milking area/stall 28, an automatic milking station/system wherein one animal individual at a time is milked, an animal feed station wherein one animal individual at a time is fed, and/or any type of selection gate. According to such alternatives, the first and/or second RFID reader device 10, 12 and the associated first and second predefined areas 40, 42 are arranged in connection with the milking position 30, the automatic milking station, the animal feed station, and the selection gate respectively.

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates a control arrangement 26 to be utilised in connection with the different aspects or embodiments of the invention.

Configurations of the control arrangement 26 are discussed below and with reference to Figs. 2 and 4. The control arrangement 26 is also indicated in Fig. 2.

Accordingly, the control arrangement 26 is comprised in a system 24 for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity being represented by the RFID tag 4 of the specific animal individual 2’. Again, the system 24 is configured to obtain real-time location data from the RTLS 18 and to obtain animal identification data from the animal identification system 14. The animal identification system 14 comprises at least the first RFID reader device 10 configured for reading the RFID tag 4, and the RTLS 18 comprises a plurality of RTLS anchors 22, which cover at least the first predefined area 40 associated with the first RFID reader device 10. Thus, the control arrangement 26 is configured to:

- obtain the first timestamp associated with the reading of the RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual by the first RFID reader device 10, - obtain the second timestamp associated with the RTLS 18 locating the unassigned RTLS tag 6 in the first predefined area 40, and

- establish the correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ if the predetermined relationship between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is fulfilled, and

The control arrangement 26 comprises at least one calculation unit 50, which may take the form of substantially any suitable type of processor circuit or microcomputer, e.g. a circuit for digital signal processing (digital signal processor, DSP), a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a processing unit, a processing circuit, a processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a System- on-Chip (SoC), a programmable logic unit, a microprocessor, or other processing logic that may interpret and execute instructions. The control arrangement 26 comprises a memory unit 52. The calculation unit 50 is connected to the memory unit 52, which provides the calculation unit 50 with, e.g. stored programme code, data tables, and/or other stored data which the calculation unit 50 needs to enable it to do calculations, establish correlations, process data such as position data from the RTLS 18, timestamp data, etc. The calculation unit 50 is also adapted to store partial or final results of calculations in the memory unit 52. The memory unit 52 may comprise e.g. a memory card, a flash memory, a USB memory, a hard disc, or another similar volatile or non-volatile storage unit for storing data such as e.g.

ROM (Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable PROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM), etc. in different embodiments.

The control arrangement 26 is further provided with respective devices 54, 56, 62, 64, 66, 68 for sending and/or receiving output and input signals. Output signal sending devices 54, 56 are arranged to convert calculation results from the calculation unit 50 to output signals for conveying to signal receiving devices of other parts of the animal farm arrangement 2. Input signals are supplied to the calculation unit 50 from the input receiving devices 62, 64, 66, 68. Each of the connections to the respective devices for receiving and sending input and output signals may take the form of one or more from among a cable, a data bus, e.g. a CAN (controller area network) bus, a MOST (media orientated systems transport) bus or some other bus configuration, or a wireless connection.

The output signal sending devices 54, 56 may send signals to a personal computer 58, and/or a handheld communication device 60. The input signal receiving devices 62, 64, 66, 68 may receive signals from the RTLS 18, the animal identification system 14, the personal computer 58, the handheld communication device 60, etc.

Data tables and/or databases may be data tables and/or databases related to the animal individuals 2, 2’ at the farm 8. In the databases, data tables in the form of animal records are stored and updated on an animal individual level. Such animal records contain the animal identities of animal individuals, which relate to RFID tags 4 and the RTLS tags 6 carried by the animal individuals. Examples of data being stored in the database can be timestamp data and/or calculated data related to animal individuals 2, 2’.

The control arrangement 46 is configured to perform a method 100 according to any one of aspects and/or embodiments discussed herein, see e.g. below with reference to Fig. 4.

The control arrangement 26 is further configured to receive animal identification data provided by the animal identification system 14 and the readings of RFID tags 4 by RFID reader devices, such as at least one of the first and second RFID reader devices 10, 12 and to receive position data from the RTLS 18. From the animal identification system 14, the control arrangement 26 receives first timestamp data related to the specific animal individual 2’ being read by the first and/or second RFID reader device 10, 12.

The control arrangement 26 receives or includes coordinate data of the first and second predefined areas 40, 42. Thus, based on the position of the relevant animal individual as provided with the position data by the RTLS 18, the control arrangement 26 determines whether signals from RTLS tags 6 are received from one of the predefined areas 40, 42. Alternatively, the position data provided by the RTLS 18 may include an indication/data designating that the signals from the RTLS tag 6 are received from one of the predefined areas 40, 42. This indication/data designating that the signals from the unassigned RTLS tag 6 are received from one of the predefined areas 40, 42, and thereto related second timestamp data is then used by the control arrangement 26 in comparisons with first timestamp data from the animal identification system 14, as well as in the establishing of the correlation.

Before, or shortly after, the unassigned RTLS tag 6 is attached to the animal individual 2, the unassigned RTLS tag 6 must be activated to initiate its signal sending capability. For instance, activation of the unassigned RTLS tag 6 is done via NFC (near-field communication) from a dedicated handheld device or a handheld communication device, such as a mobile phone. However, an automatic activation of the unassigned RTLS tag 6 is preferably provided by an RFID reader device when the relevant animal individual 2 passes for the first time with unassigned RTLS tag 6 through the field generated by one of the RFID reader devices at a farm 8. Automatic activation of the unassigned RTLS tag 6 is also possible via BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) from the anchors 20 of the RTLS 18.

The real-time location data from the RTLS 18 is provided in the form of RTLS data packages. Each RTLS data package comprises: RTLS tag unique identification number, RTLS timestamp data, and RTLS position data. Such RTLS data packages are received by the control arrangement 26. Accordingly, the control arrangement 26 is configured to compare the RTLS position data from RTLS data packages related to the unassigned RTLS tag 6 carried by the specific animal individual 2’ with position data related to the first predefined area 40. Based thereon, the control arrangement 26 is configured to define the RTLS timestamp data of a specific RTLS data package from the RTLS tag 6 carried by the specific animal individual 2’ as second timestamp(s) when the unassigned RTLS tag 6 is in the first predefined area 40.

According to the embodiment, the system 24 is arranged to provide a more reliable decision basis by establishing the correlation on more than one predetermined relationship between first and second timestamps related to the RFID tag 4 and the RTLS tag 6.

Accordingly, the control arrangement 26 is configured to:

- obtain several first timestamps associated with the reading of the RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual 2’ by the first RFID reader device 10,

- obtain several second timestamps associated with the RTLS 18 locating the unassigned RTLS tag 6 in the first predefined area 40, and

- establish the correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ based on the predetermined relationship between the first timestamps and the second timestamps being fulfilled several times, and

Several first and second timestamps are associated with different occasions when the specific animal individual 2’ presents itself at the first RFID reader device 10. For each such occasion of the different occasions, first and second timestamps are received from the animal identification system 14 and the RTLS 18, respectively. According to the detailed embodiment, the animal identification system 14 further comprises a second RFID reader device 12 configured for reading the RFID tag 4. The plurality of RTLS anchors 20 also cover a second predefined area 42 associated with the second RFID reader device 12. In this embodiment, the system 24 is arranged to provide a more reliable decision basis by establishing the correlation between the first and second timestamps related to the RFID tag 4 and the RTLS tag 6 based on the predetermined relationship also being fulfilled several times.

Thus, the control arrangement 26 is further configured to:

- obtain one or more further first timestamps associated with a reading of the RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual 2’ by the second RFID reader device 12, and

- obtain one or more further second timestamps associated with the real-time location system locating the unassigned RTLS tag 6 in the second predefined area 42.

The control arrangement 26 is hereby configured to:

- establish the correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ based on the predetermined relationship between the further first timestamps and the further second timestamps also being fulfilled.

For instance, in the example of Fig. 2, timestamps related to readings by the first and second RFID reader devices 10, 12 can be ascertained when the specific animal individual 2’ walks along the animal passageway 34 from the milking stall 28 to its resting and/or feeding area 38, 38’. Thus, the first and further first timestamps can be ascertained. Similarly, signals can be received from the unassigned RTLS tag 6 of the specific animal individual 2’ by the RTLS 18 as the specific animal individual 2’ passes through the first and second predefined areas 40, 42. Accordingly, the second and further second timestamps related to locating the unassigned RTLS tag 6 of the specific animal individual 2’ in the first and second predefined areas 40, 42, which can be ascertained several times.

According to this embodiment, the control arrangement is configured to assign the RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’, if the correlation has been established based on the predetermined relationship being fulfilled a minimum number of times, such as at least two, at least three, at least four or at least five times.

According to some embodiments, the control arrangement 26 being configured to assign the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ means that the control arrangement 26 proposes a particular animal individual to the user/farmer as a likely candidate for the specific animal individual 2’, to which the unassigned RTLS tag 6 is to be assigned. Input confirmation by the user/farmer is required to assign the RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’.

The RTLS tag 6 is configured to send its signal at regular time intervals (e.g. every two seconds) to be received by at least some of the plurality of RTLS anchors 20 of the RTLS 18. The predetermined relationship is fulfilled if the time difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is less than or equal to the threshold time difference At. Thus, the threshold time difference At is a maximum time difference or period. According to some embodiments, the threshold time difference At corresponds to a time period between a predetermined number of signals sent by the RTLS tag 6, such as between at least two signals or three signals sent by the unassigned RTLS tag 6. Alternatively, such a maximum time period may be selected by a user as a number of seconds, such as five or six seconds.

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates a computer-implemented method 100 for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’. The computer-implemented method 100 is implemented in the system 24 as discussed above. Accordingly, the method 100 utilises the animal identification system 14, the RTLS 18, and the control arrangement 26. Thus, in the following, reference is also made to the above discussion of Figs. 1 - 3.

Again, the animal identity is represented by the RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual 2’. The unassigned RTLS tag 6 is carried by the specific animal individual 2’ and is separate from the RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual 2’. The computer-implemented method 100 comprises steps of:

- Reading 102 the RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual 2’ by a first RFID reader device 10. The RFID first reader device 10 forms part of the animal identification system 14.

- Obtaining 104 a first timestamp associated with the step of reading 102 the RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual 2’.

- Locating 106 the unassigned RTLS tag 6 with the RTLS 18 in a first predefined area 40 associated with the first RFID reader device 10.

- Obtaining 108 a second timestamp associated with the step of locating 106 the unassigned RTLS tag 6 in the first predefined area 40.

- Establishing 110 a correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ if a predetermined relationship between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is fulfilled, wherein the predetermined relationship is fulfilled if a time difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is less than or equal to a threshold time difference At, and - assigning the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ based on the established correlation.

According to the detailed embodiment of the method 100, the real-time location data from the RTLS 18 is provided in the form of RTLS data packages, each RTLS data package comprising the unassigned RTLS tag’s unique identification number, RTLS timestamp data, and RTLS position data. The method 100 further comprises a step of:

- Comparing 112 the RTLS position data from RTLS data packages related to the unassigned RTLS tag 6 carried by the specific animal individual 2’ with position data related to the first predefined area 40, and based thereon, the step of obtaining 108 the second timestamp associated with the step of locating 106 the unassigned RTLS tag in the first predefined area 40 comprises a step of:

- Associating 114 the RTLS timestamp data of a specific RTLS data package from the unassigned RTLS tag 6 carried by the specific animal individual 2’ with the second timestamp, in response to the step of locating 106 the unassigned RTLS tag 6 with the RTLS 18 in the first predefined area 40. In this manner, the second time stamp is ascertained by comparing position data and timestamps.

According to the embodiment, the method 100 comprises the further steps of:

- Obtaining 116 several first timestamps associated with reading of the RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual 2’ by the first RFID reader device 10.

- Obtaining 118 several second timestamps associated with the RTLS 18 locating the unassigned RTLS tag 6 in the first predefined area 40.

- Establishing 120 the correlation for assigning the RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ based on the predetermined relationship between the first timestamps and the second timestamps being fulfilled several times. In this manner, the method 100 establishes the correlation between the first and second timestamps to ensure more accurate decision basis or at least more reliable correlations in the assigning of the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’.

The method 100 also comprises the steps of:

- obtaining 122 one or more further first timestamps associated with a reading of the RFID tag 4 on the specific animal individual 2’ by a second RFID reader device 12,

- obtaining 124 one or more further second timestamps associated with the RTLS 18 locating the unassigned RTLS tag 6 in a second predefined area 42, - Establishing 126 the correlation for assigning the RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ based on the predetermined relationship between the further first timestamps and the further second timestamps also being fulfilled.

In this manner, the method 100 establishes the correlation between timestamps, including the further first and further second timestamps related to the RFID tag 4 and the RTLS tag 6 to ensure more reliable correlations and/or accurate decision basis in the assigning of the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’. The use of timestamps related also to the second RFID reader device 12 and the second predefined area 42 provide further decision basis in addition to the timestamps related to the first RFID reader device 10 and the first predefined area 40.

According to the shown embodiment, the method 100 further comprises a step of: - assigning 128 the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ if the established correlation is based on the predetermined relationship has been fulfilled a minimum number of times, such as at least two, at least three, at least four or at least five times. In this manner, the unassigned RTLS tag 6 is assigned to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ based on a more reliable and/or higher correlation.

The step of assigning 128 the unassigned RTLS tag 6 can include a confirmation step by the user/farmer or animal handler following a prompt to confirm the assignment provided on a herd management computer 58 or a handheld communication device 60, or fully automatically by the control arrangement 26.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that the method 100 for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag 6 to the animal identity of the specific animal individual 2’ can be implemented by programmed instructions. These programmed instructions are typically constituted by a computer program, which, when it is executed in a computer or calculation unit 50, ensures that the computer or calculation unit 50 carries out the desired control, such as the method steps 102 - 128 according to the invention. The computer program is usually part of a computer-readable storage medium which comprises a suitable digital storage medium on which the computer program is stored. Fig. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a computer- readable storage medium 99 comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer or calculation unit 50, cause the computer or calculation unit 50 to carry out the steps of the method 100 according to any one of aspects and/or embodiments discussed herein. The computer-readable storage medium 99 may be provided for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing at least some of the steps 102 - 128 according to some embodiments when being loaded into the one or more calculation units 50. The data carrier may be, e.g. a ROM (read-only memory), a PROM (programable readonly memory), an EPROM (erasable PROM), a flash memory, an EEPROM (electrically erasable PROM), a hard disc, a CD ROM disc, a memory stick, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device or any other appropriate medium such as a disk or tape that may hold machine readable data in a non-transitory manner. The computer-readable storage medium may furthermore be provided as computer program code on a server and may be downloaded to the calculation unit 50 remotely, e.g., over an Internet or an intranet connection, or via other wired or wireless communication systems. The computer-readable storage medium 99 shown in Fig. 5 is a nonlimiting example in the form of a USB memory stick.

It is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of various examples and that the invention is defined only by the appended claims. A person skilled in the art will realize that the examples may be modified, and that different features of the examples may be combined to create examples other than those described herein, without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system (24) for assigning an unassigned RTLS tag (6) to an animal identity being represented by an RFID tag (4) on a specific animal individual (2’), wherein the unassigned RTLS tag (6) is carried by the specific animal individual (2’) and is separate from the RFID tag (4) on the specific animal individual (2’), the system (24) for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to an animal identity being configured to obtain real-time location data from a real-time location system RTLS (18) configured to receive signals transmitted from the unassigned RTLS tag (6) and to obtain animal identification data from an animal identification system (14) configured to read the RFID tag (4) on the specific animal individual (2’), wherein the animal identification system (14) comprises at least a first RFID reader device (10) configured for reading the RFID tag (4), and the real-time location system (18) comprises a plurality of RTLS anchors (20), which cover a monitored area (22) including the first RFID reader device (10), characterised in that the system (24) for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity comprises a control arrangement (26) configured to:

- obtain a first timestamp associated with a reading of the RFID tag (4) on the specific animal individual (2’) by the first RFID reader device (10),

- obtain a second timestamp associated with the real-time location system (18) locating the unassigned RTLS tag (6) in a first predefined area (40) associated with the first RFID reader device (10), and

- establish a correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity of the specific animal individual (2’) if a predetermined relationship between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is fulfilled, wherein the predetermined relationship is fulfilled if a time difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is less than or equal to a threshold time difference At, and

- assign the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity of the specific animal individual (2’) based on the established correlation.

2. The system (24) according to claim 1, comprising the real-time location system (18) and the animal identification system (14).

3. The system (24) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein real-time location data from the realtime location system (18) is provided in the form of RTLS data packages, each RTLS data package comprising RTLS tag (6) identification number, RTLS timestamp data, and RTLS position data, and wherein the control arrangement (26) is configured to:

- compare the RTLS position data from RTLS data packages related to the unassigned RTLS tag (6) carried by the specific animal individual (2’) with position data related to the first predefined area (40), and based thereon

- associate the RTLS timestamp data of a specific RTLS data package from the unassigned RTLS tag (6) carried by the specific animal individual (2’) with the second timestamp if the RTLS tag (6) is in the first predefined area (40).

4. The system (24) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first predefined area (40) is a fraction of the total monitored area (22) covered by the plurality of RTLS anchors (20), wherein the first predefined area (40) surrounds the first RFID reader device (10).

5. The system (24) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control arrangement (26) is configured to:

- obtain several first timestamps associated with the reading of the RFID tag (4) on the specific animal individual (2’) by the first RFID reader device (10),

- obtain several second timestamps associated with the real-time location system (18) locating the unassigned RTLS tag (6) in the first predefined area (40), and

- establish the correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity of the specific animal individual (2’) based on the predetermined relationship between the first timestamps and the second timestamps being fulfilled several times, and

6. The system (24) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the animal identification system (14) comprises a second RFID reader device (12) configured for reading the RFID tag (4), wherein the plurality of RTLS anchors (20) further cover a second predefined area (42) associated with the second RFID reader device (12), wherein the control arrangement (26) is configured to:

- obtain one or more further first timestamps associated with a reading of the RFID tag (4) on the specific animal individual (2’) by the second RFID reader device (12), and

- obtain one or more further second timestamps associated with the real-time location system (18) locating the unassigned RTLS tag (6) in the second predefined area (42), and wherein the control arrangement (26) is configured to: - establish the correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity of the specific animal individual (2’) based on the predetermined relationship between the further first timestamps and the further second timestamps also being fulfilled, and

7. The system (24) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control arrangement (26) is configured to:

- assign the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity of the specific animal individual (2’), if the correlation has been established based on the predetermined relationship being fulfilled a minimum number of times, such as at least two, at least three, at least four or at least five times.

8. The system (24) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first predefined area (40) is associated with a first confined physical area at the first RFID reader device (10) and which has a limited space configured for one animal individual only, and/or the second predefined area (42) is associated with a second confined physical area at the second RFID reader device (12) and which has a limited space configured for one animal individual only.

9. The system (24) according to claim 8, wherein the first and/or second confined physical area/s comprises one of an animal passageway (34), an automatic gate (16, 16’), such as a sort or selection gate, a milking position (30) in a milking stall (28), an automatic milking station, and an animal feed station.

10. The system (24) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the threshold time difference At is at least one second and at most ten seconds, such as in a range of two to five seconds.

11. The system (24) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the unassigned RTLS tag (6) is configured to send the signal at regular time intervals, such as every two seconds, to be received by at least some of the plurality of RTLS anchors of the real-time location system (18).

12. The system (24) according to claims 10 and 11 , wherein the threshold time difference corresponds to a time period between a predetermined number of signals sent by the unassigned RTLS tag (6), such as between at least two signals sent by the unassigned RTLS tag (6).

13. A computer-implemented method (100) for assigning an unassigned RTLS tag (6) to an animal identity being represented by an RFID tag (4) on a specific animal individual (2’), wherein the unassigned RTLS tag (6) is carried by the specific animal individual (2’) and is separate from the RFID tag (4) on the specific animal individual (2’), the method (100) comprising the steps of:

- reading (102) the RFID tag (4) on the specific animal individual (2’) by a first RFID reader device (10),

- obtaining (104) a first timestamp associated with the step of reading the RFID tag (4) on the specific animal individual (2’),

- locating (106) the unassigned RTLS tag (6) with a real-time location system (18) in a first predefined area (40) associated with the first RFID reader device (10),

- obtaining (108) a second timestamp associated with the step of locating (106) the unassigned RTLS tag (6) in the first predefined area (40), and

- establishing (110) a correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity of the specific animal individual (2’) if a predetermined relationship between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is fulfilled, wherein the predetermined relationship is fulfilled if a time difference between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is less than or equal to a threshold time difference At, and

- assigning the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity of the specific animal individual (2’) based on the established correlation.

14. The method (100) according to claim 13, wherein real-time location data from the realtime location system (18) is provided in the form of RTLS data packages, each RTLS data package comprising the unassigned RTLS tag’s (6) unique identification number, RTLS timestamp data, and RTLS position data, and wherein the method (100) comprises a step of:

- comparing (112) the RTLS position data from RTLS data packages related to the unassigned RTLS tag (6) carried by the specific animal individual (2’) with position data related to the first predefined area (40), and based thereon, the step of obtaining (108) a second timestamp associated with the step of locating (106) the unassigned RTLS tag (6) in the first predefined area (40) comprises a step of:

- associating (114) the RTLS timestamp data of a specific RTLS data package from the unassigned RTLS tag (6) carried by the specific animal individual (2’) with the second timestamp, in response to the step of locating (106) the RTLS tag (6) with the realtime location system (18) in the first predefined area (40).

15. The method (100) according to claim 13 or 14, comprising steps of:

- obtaining (116) several first timestamps associated with reading of the RFID tag (4) on the specific animal individual (2’) by the first RFID reader device (10),

- obtaining (118) several second timestamps associated with the real-time location system (18) locating the unassigned RTLS tag (6) in the first predefined area (40), and

- establishing (120) the correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity of the specific animal individual (2’) based on the predetermined relationship between each of the first timestamps and respective of the second timestamps also being fulfilled, and

16. The method (100) according to any one of claims 13 - 15, comprising steps of:

- obtaining (122) one or more further first timestamps associated with a reading of the RFID tag on the specific animal individual (2’) by a second RFID reader device (12),

- obtaining (124) one or more further second timestamps associated with the real-time location system (18) locating the unassigned RTLS tag (6) in a second predefined area (42), and

- establishing (126) the correlation for assigning the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity of the specific animal individual (2’) based on the predetermined relationship between each of the further first timestamps and respective of the further second timestamps also being fulfilled, and

17. The method (100) according to any one of claims 13 - 16, comprising a step of:

- assigning (128) the unassigned RTLS tag (6) to the animal identity of the specific animal individual (2’), if the correlation has been established based on the predetermined relationship being fulfilled a minimum number of times, such as at least two, at least three, at least four or at least five times.