Hi Guys,

I was approached yesterday to offer a solution to a problem a 'herd testing' 
company has with obtaining 'dairy cow identification numbers' from the RFID 
system already built into the dairies.

They want a simple device they can clip to the front of a led display (7 or 
8 seven segment displays) that will transfer the number to their own 
equipment.

They cant physically tap into the existing displays because they would have 
to modify the display in every dairy they go to (which is impractical) and 
the manufacturer of the equip already in the dairies will not provide info 
on the protocols used to send the numbers to the display (despite 5 years of 
negotiation)

Apparently the herd testers take their own equipment to each dairy to obtain 
milk samples but it only stays there a couple of days. They return each 
month.

That exists of their own RFID antenna and reader to identify each cow, then 
a palm device and a printer to spit out a label to go on each 250ml sample 
container.

They obtain two samples per cow from two milkings. The samples are then 
taken back to the lab where they use a robotic sorter before being analysed.

Apparently they have investigated using a camera in a box, hung on the front 
of the dairies display, and then using an OCR program to identify the 
number.

I suspect the best way would be to 'crack' the communications feeding from 
the reader to the display, though exactly how to do that is my dilemma.

Does anyone have any suggestions how to go about it, or any other ways of 
capturing the ID numbers.

The two brands of RFID systems already in the dairies are made by DeLaval 
and Westfalia.

Regards, Roger 

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