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A Study on Automatic and Early Detection of Lameness in Dairy Cattle

Honarvar Mahjoobin, Mohammad Hadi | 2009

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 39594 (08)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Mechanical Engineering
  6. Advisor(s): Akbari, Javad
  7. Abstract:
  8. Lameness in dairy cattle is a crucial welfare issue in dairy industry, and over the years scientists are attempting to present a detection method. In recent years it is attracting more attention to make the identification and discrimination of sounds and lames systematic and automatic. Right now, the most hopeful results have been obtained through the measurement of Ground Reaction Forces (GRF) of hooves, and analysis of load distribution between four legs, which seems applicable for wide use in dairy industry. However, the accuracy, validity, and reliability of discrimination is still far from an acceptable point, that is because of a great lack in understanding quantitative effects of the disease on measuring quantity, and looking toward the detection problem just in a phenomenal point of view. In this research, opening the mechanistic approach to this problem, and looking forward to the final goal of an automatic and early detection of lameness in dairy cattle, we will estimate a mathematical model for the dynamic behavior of cow when standing. We define a general and conceptual control law based on an uncomfort function, and design a mathematical method for estimating that function. Then, using the few available force-plate data, calculate the floating model parameters for a cow, and following that, we will have an evaluatin and discussion over the numerical results. This research, as it is explained in chapter 3, is done to design the main core of a comprehensive mathematical model, preparing the necessary foundations for future researchs on accurate and early discriminating method. The few numerical results obtained, show the positive performance of the idea of this research, and make the detection future hopeful.

  9. Keywords:
  10. Lameness ; Ground Reaction Force (GRF) ; Uncomfort Function ; Uncomfort Coefficient Estimation ; Pain Vector

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