In animal husbandry, a condition monitoring solution ensures real-time monitoring of emissions and maintenance of an optimal climate in the stable.
AT A GLANCE
· monitoring of farm animal emissions, air quality control
· notification when limit values are exceeded
· avoidance of limit value excess through predictive alerting
PROBLEM DEFINITION
Air quality in stables has a direct impact on the health of animals and farm workers. High concentrations of harmful gases can affect both livestock protection and production efficiency. Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from animal husbandry pose a health hazard for workers in stables that should not be underestimated. In addition to gas concentration, temperature and relative humidity are other important factors influencing air quality in stables.
SOLUTION
A condition monitoring system senses gas concentration, temperature and humidity in the barn and ensures that the desired air quality is maintained. A comparison with defined target values ensures that the concentration of harmful gases is not too high. If limit values are exceeded, persons in charge are automatically notified so that immediate action can be taken and the required air quality can be restored.
Predictive notifications can also be sent, for example when a rise in temperature is measured in the barn. As the production of harmful or foreign gases increases with temperature, an early warning can prevent a deterioration of air quality.
TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons with special sensor functions are installed in the area to be monitored. In addition, a small number of Siliconfusion Anchor Nodes are installed. Based on the sensor functions, the beacons determine the concentration of different gases, the temperature and the relative humidity in the area to be monitored. The acquired data is sent via Bluetooth to a Locator Node within range and then transmitted to the Siliconfusion Platform. Here, the data is intelligently processed and made available via web services. Using the Siliconfusion Automation Engine, the status information is linked to conditions, so that actions such as sending notifications to agricultural workers can be triggered automatically if limit values are exceeded. Predictive alerting can also be implemented using the web-based tool. If a high risk of a limit value being exceeded is predicted, the warning can be used to take countermeasures in good time. The reporting functions of Siliconfusion Analytics enable verification of compliance with the targeted climate in the stable.
