Abstract: Milk meter for measuring a flow rate of a milk flow, provided with an inlet, an outlet, and a liquid flow path from the inlet to the outlet. The milk meter has a measuring chamber and a float in the measuring chamber configured to float on milk. The milk meter determines the flow rate from the level of milk and the milk meter is provided with a magnetic unit for generating a magnetic field and the magnetic field varies in height direction of the measuring chamber, and the float has an electronic measuring unit for measuring the strength of the magnetic field. The measured strength of the magnetic field is a measure of the height at which the float is floating on the milk and the measured strength of the magnetic field is a measure of the flow rate of the milk flow.

Abstract: The invention provides a system and a method for determining a physiological condition of a ruminant. The system comprises a sensor unit and a calculating unit. The sensor unit generates a stream of measuring data. that are indicative of a movement condition of the ruminant. The calculating unit uses a neural network for calculating a stream of condition data from the stream of measuring data. The condition data indicate a physiological condition of the ruminant.

Abstract: A measuring device for measuring physiological data of a mammal comprising a measuring unit, to be worn by the mammal, with a first and second module. The first module comprises a light source and the second module comprises a sensor unit for measuring an intensity of a fraction of the light delivering a measuring signal. There is a synchronization means for pulsewise activating the light source synchronously with the second module, wherein the measuring signal is indicative of the value of the intensity measured during the pulsewise activation. The synchronization means comprises an energy transmitting unit and a detector which is part of the other one of the first and the second module, in an operating condition the energy transmitting unit pulsewise generates an electromagnetic field, and the detector receives this field and generates therefrom a supply voltage for use in that other module.

Abstract: The device for determining movements of an animal comprises a housing, at least one G-sensor for detecting movements of the housing and for generating signals representing the detected movements. The device further comprises an electronic circuit connected to the G-sensor for processing signals received from the G-sensor so as to obtain processing results, transmitting means connected to the electronic circuit for transmitting the processing results and a power supply for at least feeding energy to the G-sensor and the electronic circuit wherein the G-sensor, the electronic circuit, the transmitter means and the power supply are located within the housing. The electronic circuit may be arranged for switching the G-sensor on and off according to a predetermined time pattern so as to save energy.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for electronically locating and tracking persons, animals, or objects in a predetermined work area utilizing a number of base stations associated with the work area, provided with stationary transmitting-/receiving devices and a number of transponders added to the persons, animals, or objects to be located, provided with transmitting and receiving means, wherein the base stations generate interrogation fields which can be received by the transponders, wherein with the base stations low-frequency magnetic fields with a unique frequency for each base station are generated in the predetermined work area, and wherein transponders are used, which are provided with means to measure the field strength associated with each separate received frequency at the location of the transponder and then to transmit this as a position signal via high-frequency transmitting means of the transponder to high-frequency receiving means provided in the base stations.

Abstract: A method for monitoring movements of an animal, wherein the animal is provided with a device having sensor means for detecting movements, and generating at least a signal with information about detected movements of the animal. The device is further provided with a control unit for processing the information in the signal and for storing the processed information and transmitter means for transmitting information stored in the control unit. The method comprises: storing in the control unit a number of predetermined-type movements counted during a predetermined set of periods which comprises a number of successive first periods, and transmitting a number of the stored numbers of counted movements at moments which depend on the number of detected predetermined-type movements in at least one of the past first periods and/or depend on at least one of the stored orientations of the sensor means.

Abstract: A method for detecting, in particular counting, animals that pass a predefined place in a walk-through direction with the aid of at least a camera, wherein the camera successively records pictures of the defined place and wherein the camera generates signals that represent these pictures and supplies these signals to signal processing means for further processing, wherein a multiplicity of the recorded pictures are processed with the aid of the signal processing means.

Abstract: A system for analyzing a condition of an animal, wherein the system includes at least an identification unit (2.1) which is arranged to be worn by an animal, wherein the identification unit includes a first transmitter unit (4), a movement sensor (6), and a control unit (8) which is communicatively connected with the transmitter unit and the movement sensor, wherein the system further includes a receiver unit (8) and a computer (10) which is connected with the receiver unit and wherein the system further includes positioning means for measuring a position of the identification unit, wherein the control unit is arranged for, in use, storing and/or processing electronic information of movements of the animal which have been obtained with the movement sensor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for electronically locating and tracking persons, animals, or objects in a predetermined work area utilizing a number of base stations associated with the work area, provided with stationary transmitting-/receiving devices and a number of transponders added to the persons, animals, or objects to be located, provided with transmitting and receiving means, wherein the base stations generate interrogation fields which can be received by the transponders, wherein with the base stations low-frequency magnetic fields with a unique frequency for each base station are generated in the predetermined work area, and wherein transponders are used, which are provided with means to measure the field strength associated with each separate received frequency at the location of the transponder and then to transmit this as a position signal via high-frequency transmitting means of the transponder to high-frequency receiving means provided in the base stations.

Abstract: A method for monitoring movements of an animal, wherein the animal is provided with a device having sensor means for detecting movements, and generating at least a signal with information about detected movements of the animal. The device is further provided with a control unit for processing the information in the signal and for storing the processed information and transmitter means for transmitting information stored in the control unit. The method comprises: storing in the control unit a number of predetermined-type movements counted during a predetermined set of periods which comprises a number of successive first periods, and transmitting a number of the stored numbers of counted movements at moments which depend on the number of detected predetermined-type movements in at least one of the past first periods and/or depend on at least one of the stored orientations of the sensor means.

Abstract: The device for determining movements of an animal comprises a housing, at least one G-sensor for detecting movements of the housing and for generating signals representing the detected movements. The device further comprises an electronic circuit connected to the G-sensor for processing signals received from the G-sensor so as to obtain processing results, transmitting means connected to the electronic circuit for transmitting the processing results and a power supply for at least feeding energy to the G-sensor and the electronic circuit wherein the G-sensor, the electronic circuit, the transmitter means and the power supply are located within the housing. The electronic circuit may be arranged for switching the G-sensor on and off according to a predetermined time pattern so as to save energy.

Abstract: A method for detecting, in particular counting, animals that pass a predefined place in a walk-through direction with the aid of at least a camera, wherein the camera successively records pictures of the defined place and wherein the camera generates signals that represent these pictures and supplies these signals to signal processing means for further processing, wherein a multiplicity of the recorded pictures are processed with the aid of the signal processing means.

Abstract: The invention relates to an adhesive composition comprising (i) one or more styrenic block copolymers, (ii) a tackifier resin, and (iii) one or more plasticizers, wherein the or one of the styrenic block copolymers is of the general formulae A-C-A, ??(1) or (A-C)n-X, ??(2) wherein each A independently is a polymer block of an aromatic vinyl compound, and C is a mixed polymer block (B/I) of butadiene (B) and isoprene (I) in a weight ratio B:I in the range of 30:70 to 70:30, and said polymer block C has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of at most ?50° C. (determined according to ASTM E-1356-98), n is an integer equal to or greater than 2, and X is the residue of a coupling agent, and wherein the tackifier resin has an aromaticity (in relative percentage of aromatic protons as determined by H-NMR) in the range of from 3 to 18%.

Abstract: A system for visual cryptography comprises a server (1) for encrypting a series of images using a set of keys, a terminal (2) for displaying the encrypted images, a transmission medium (4) for transmitting the encrypting images from the server to the terminal (2), and a decryption device (3) for decrypting the encrypted image displayed on the terminal. A key identification is produced by the server (1) and displayed by the terminal (2). The decryption device (3) senses the key identification and selects the corresponding key from its key set.

Abstract: A bituminous composition which comprises a bituminous component and a block copolymer which comprises at least two blocks of a conjugated diene and at least two blocks of a monovinylaromatic hydrocarbon, being of the general formula: S1—B1—S2—B2 wherein B1 is a block of polymerized conjugated diene comprising at least 50 mole % isoprene having an apparent molecular weight of from 180,000 to 400,000, S1 and S2 are blocks of polymerized monovinylaromatic hydrocarbon having a weight average molecular weight of 12,000 to 40,000, and B2 is a block of polymerized conjugated diene comprising at least 50 mole % isoprene having an apparent molecular weight of from 15,000 to 60,000; wherein the weight ratio W of B1 over B2 is in the range of 3.0 to 12.0; and wherein the content of polymerized monovinylaromatic hydrocarbon is in the range from 10 to 35 wt. %.

Abstract: The invention relates to an adhesive composition comprising (i) one or more styrenic block copolymers, (ii) a tackifier resin, and (iii) one or more plasticizers, wherein the or one of the styrenic block copolymers is of the general formulae