Controllable scent sample dispenser, and animal training and testing system for detecting scents

Abstract

A controllable scent sample dispenser has a microdosing device for outputting, during an activation state, a scent sample at a scent sample outlet to the environment, wherein the microdosing device is placeable adjacent to an animal's nose so that a distance between the outlet of the microdosing device and a nare or nostril of the animal's nose is within a predefined range, and a microdosing driver unit for adjusting a dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet by selectively activating the microdosing device.

1 . A controllable scent sample dispenser, comprising:
 a microdosing device for outputting, during an activation state, a scent sample at a scent sample outlet to the environment, wherein the microdosing device is placeable adjacent to an animal's nose so that a distance between the outlet of the microdosing device and a nare or nostril of the animal's nose is within a predefined range, and   a microdosing driver unit for adjusting a dosing rate of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet by selectively activating the microdosing device.   
     
     
         2 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a fixing element for fixing the microdosing device adjacent to the animal's nose so that a distance between the outlet of the microdosing device and a nare or nostril of the animal's nose is within a predefined range, or a tubing element at the outlet of the microdosing device is placed in the nare or nostril of the animal's nose.   
     
     
         3 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the microdosing driver unit is configured to activate the microdosing device responsive to a control signal received from an operator. 
     
     
         4 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the microdosing device comprises a micro pump with a pump chamber providing a stroke volume. 
     
     
         5 . The dispenser according to  claim 4 , wherein a dead volume of the micro pump between an exit of the pump chamber and the outlet of the micro pump is less than 10-times the stroke volume. 
     
     
         6 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the fixing element is part of a muzzle attached to the animal's head. 
     
     
         7 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the microdosing driver unit comprises a signal receiving element for receiving the control signal from a remote system controller. 
     
     
         8 . The dispenser according to  claim 7 , wherein the signal receiving element is configured to install a wireless or wired connection to the remote system controller. 
     
     
         9 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the microdosing driver unit is arranged on a neck collar of the animal. 
     
     
         10 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a power supply element in the form of a rechargeable battery.   
     
     
         11 . The dispenser according to  claim 10 , wherein the power supply element is integrated to the microdosing driver unit, the microdosing device or the fixing element. 
     
     
         12 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the scent sample reservoir is configured to provide the scent sample with a specific scent concentration in the form of scent molecules dissolved in filtered air. 
     
     
         13 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein an inlet of the microdosing device is fluidically coupled to a scent sample reservoir. 
     
     
         14 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the microdosing device comprises a tubing element as the scent sample outlet for supplying the scent sample in immediate proximity to the nose or nare of the animal. 
     
     
         15 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the microdosing device comprises a further micro pump, wherein the microdosing driver unit is configured to randomly activate the further micro pump during time periods, the micro pump is not activated. 
     
     
         16 . The dispenser according to  claim 15 , wherein the further micro pump comprises the same design as the micro pump and provides a dummy pump function. 
     
     
         17 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the microdosing device is fluidically coupled to a scent sample reservoir and the scent sample outlet, the microdosing device being configured to create, during an activation state, a flow of a carrier gas through the scent sample reservoir for taking up particles of the scent sample into the carrier gas, and to output a scent sample in form of the carrier gas with the scent sample particles at the scent sample outlet to the environment. 
     
     
         18 . The dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the scent sample outlet comprises a nozzle or nozzle structure for increasing the flow speed of the scent sample output at the scent sample outlet to the environment. 
     
     
         19 . Use of the remote controllable scent sample dispenser of  claim 1  for selectively supplying a scent sample with a predefined dosing rate to an animal's nose. 
     
     
         20 . A method of positive-reinforced scent training an animal for reliable recognition of a scent sample, comprising:
 supplying the scent sample to the nose of the animal to be trained,   encouraging the animal to execute a specific behavior during exposing the animal's nose to the scent sample,   rewarding the animal if it executes the specific behavior, and   repeating supplying, encouraging and rewarding until the animal executes the specific behavior each time the scent sample is supplied.   
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein encouraging comprises instructing the animal to be trained with a voice or gesture command of a trainer. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein, during repeating supplying, encouraging and rewarding, the encouraging is reduced or omitted. 
     
     
         23 . A method for determining the minimum scent concentration of a scent sample, an animal can detect, comprising:
 setting or calibrating the scent concentration of the scent sample provided by the scent reservoir,   supplying the scent sample with a start dosing rate to the animal's nose,   increasing the dosing rate supplied to the animal's nare, until the animal responds to the scent sample,   wherein the minimum scent concentration detectable by the animal corresponds to the currently supplied dosing rate, when the animal responds to the supplied scent sample.   
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 23 , further comprising:
 if the animal already responds to the scent sample supplied with the start dosing rate,
 reducing the first dosing rate by at least 50% to a new start dosing rate, and 
 performing supplying and increasing by starting with the new start dosing rate. 
   
     
     
         25 . A method for determining the scent sample detection limit of an animal, comprising:
 setting or calibrating the concentration of the scent sample provided by the scent reservoir,   supplying the scent sample with a start dosing rate to the animal's nose,   decreasing the dosing rate supplied to the animal's nare, until the animal stops to respond to the scent sample,   wherein the scent sample detection limit of the animal corresponds to the currently supplied dosing rate, when the animal stops to respond to the supplied scent sample.   
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 25 , further comprising:
 if the animal already does not respond to the scent sample supplied with the start dosing rate,
 increasing the first dosing rate by at least 50% to a new start dosing rate, and 
 performing supplying and decreasing by starting with the new start dosing rate. 
   
     
     
         27 . A method for determining the minimum scent concentration of a scent sample, a scent detector can detect, comprising:
 setting or calibrating the scent concentration of the scent sample provided by the scent reservoir,   supplying the scent sample with a start dosing rate to a sensing element of the scent detector,   increasing the dosing rate supplied to the sensing element, until the scent detector responds to the scent sample,   wherein the minimum scent concentration detectable by the scent detector corresponds to the currently supplied dosing rate, when the scent detector responds to the supplied scent sample.   
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 27 , further comprising:
 if the scent detector already responds to the scent sample supplied with the start dosing rate,
 reducing the first dosing rate by at least 50% to a new start dosing rate, and 
 performing supplying and increasing by starting with the new start dosing rate. 
   
     
     
         29 . A method for determining the scent sample detection limit of a scent detector, comprising:
 setting or calibrating the concentration of the scent sample provided by the scent reservoir,   supplying the scent sample with a start dosing rate to a sensing element of the scent detector,   decreasing the dosing rate supplied to the sensing element, until the scent detector stops to respond to the scent sample,   wherein the scent sample detection limit of the scent detector corresponds to the currently supplied dosing rate, when the scent detector stops to respond to the supplied scent sample.   
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 29 , further comprising:
 if the scent detector does not respond to the scent sample supplied with the start dosing rate,
 increasing the first dosing rate by at least 50% to a new start dosing rate, and 
 performing supplying and decreasing by starting with the new start dosing rate.