Fixed Reader Installations - In Scottish CCP's
Mon, 08/03/2010 - 3:14am — administrator
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For markets the physical layout of the location and the positioning of the reader can have a dramatic impact on throughput and may require some experimenting. Positioning the reader so that sheep can see other sheep or a long empty run on the other side seems to give better results.
For Abattoirs background Radio Frequency noise varies greatly from location to location and can cause significant problems. This can be difficult to alleviate although the antenna type and orientation can be altered to minimise noise.
Lot separation is generally achieved by means of either a push button on the reader, a touchscreen on a linked computer or a special 'lot sperator' RFID card.
Due to the absence of "off the shelf" auction market readers during most of the first phase of the Pilot, handheld readers were primarily used for data gathering. For the purpose of basic lot/batch recording the Pilot team found the simple stick type of readers to be the most useful. However, this type of reader may be less suitable for more complex farm managements purposes.
The readers which recorded a date and time for each ID were found to be particularly useful. The date/time data can be used to identify lots more easily when a large number of lots over multiple days are stored on the reader. Most importantly if the operator fails to add a 'lot seperator' between lots the date/time data can be used to identify where one lot ends and the next lot starts. Several of the smaller abattoirs are using Agrident sticks to read the sheep in pens.
General notes on fixed readers
Many of the readers use the free & open ScotEID software to upload data to the ScotEID database in real time. This allows the readers to be tested and data uploaded before further software integration need be considered.For markets the physical layout of the location and the positioning of the reader can have a dramatic impact on throughput and may require some experimenting. Positioning the reader so that sheep can see other sheep or a long empty run on the other side seems to give better results.
For Abattoirs background Radio Frequency noise varies greatly from location to location and can cause significant problems. This can be difficult to alleviate although the antenna type and orientation can be altered to minimise noise.
Lot separation is generally achieved by means of either a push button on the reader, a touchscreen on a linked computer or a special 'lot sperator' RFID card.
Handheld Readers used in phase 1 of the Pilot
Due to the absence of "off the shelf" auction market readers during most of the first phase of the Pilot, handheld readers were primarily used for data gathering. For the purpose of basic lot/batch recording the Pilot team found the simple stick type of readers to be the most useful. However, this type of reader may be less suitable for more complex farm managements purposes.
The readers which recorded a date and time for each ID were found to be particularly useful. The date/time data can be used to identify lots more easily when a large number of lots over multiple days are stored on the reader. Most importantly if the operator fails to add a 'lot seperator' between lots the date/time data can be used to identify where one lot ends and the next lot starts. Several of the smaller abattoirs are using Agrident sticks to read the sheep in pens.
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