US-12622438-B2 - Application of microwaves to animals

US12622438B2US 12622438 B2US12622438 B2US 12622438B2US-12622438-B2

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for inducing unconsciousness by warming of the brain of an animal by applying microwave radiation through an applicator are described. An electromagnetic flux concentrator comprises a tubular section of reducing internal cross-sectional area and at least one ridge internally thereof extending longitudinally. The applicator is pre-tuned by directing low-power microwave radiation therethrough to a load that approximates the properties of the animal's head, and adjusting the impedance of the applicator to optimize the impedance match. A compensator associated with the waveguide compensates for changes in detected reflected power.

Inventors

James Henry Ralph
David William McLean
Joel James McLean

Assignees

WAGSTAFF FOOD SERVICES PTY LTD

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20241121
Priority Date: 20210420

Claims (12)

1 . An animal stunning apparatus for inducing unconsciousness and insensibility of a live subject animal, the apparatus comprising: an applicator relatively moveable in relation to the live subject animal's head for bringing the applicator into proximity with an application zone of the subject animal's head, the application zone overlying part of at least one of the frontal lobe and parietal lobe and occipital lobe of the animal's brain located beneath the skull, the applicator including a microwave path along which microwave radiation travels in use and a mouth through which the microwave radiation emerges, the mouth being sized to overlie the application zone of the animal's head, the microwave path having physical features or a conformation that is selectively adjustable to adjust the impedance of the applicator to match with a load to which microwave radiation passing though the microwave path and emerging from the mouth has been applied, the selectively adjustable physical features or conformation of the microwave path being adjusted to approximate an optimum impedance of the applicator that is preselected to approximate an expected impedance of the subject animal's head; a microwave generator for generating microwave energy of a suitable power level and frequency; a waveguide located to receive and direct the microwave radiation from the generator to the applicator located at an operative end of the waveguide to thereby heat the animal's brain beneath the application zone in the proximity of which the mouth of the applicator is located in use; a compensator operatively associated with the waveguide and configured to detect reflected power of microwave radiation in the waveguide resulting from the degree of impedance matching between the applicator and the animal's head and that compensates for changes in detected reflected power so as to maintain a predetermined rate of transfer of microwave power to the animal's head; and a switch operable to discontinue the application of microwave radiation effecting heating of the animal's brain beneath the application zone after a period of time sufficient to raise the temperature of the animal's brain to induce unconsciousness and insensibility.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the physical features or conformation of the microwave path of the applicator comprise at least one selectively moveable body located within the microwave path and operative to enable selective adjustment of the impedance of the applicator.
3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the at least one selectively moveable body comprises at least two metallic or other microwave affecting bodies that are each selectively moveable within the microwave path.
4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the applicator includes a waveguide portion of generally constant internal cross-sectional area leading to a tapering or narrowing section of internal cross-sectional area reducing in the direction of the mouth, and wherein the selectively-adjustable physical features or conformation is provided in the waveguide portion of generally constant internal cross-sectional area.
5 . A method of stunning a subject animal for inducing unconsciousness and insensibility of the animal, the method comprising the steps: (a) providing an applicator to be located in use in the proximity of an application zone of the subject animal's head, the application zone comprising a region overlying part of at least one of the frontal lobe and the parietal lobe and occipital lobe of the subject animal's brain located beneath the subject animal's skull, the applicator including a microwave path along which microwave radiation travels in use and the mouth through which the microwave radiation emerges from the applicator, the mouth being sized to overlie the application zone of the animal's head; (b) locating the applicator in an operative relationship in proximity to a load that approximates the conformation and dielectric properties of the subject animal's head at the application zone; (c) generating low power microwave radiation and directing it through the microwave path of the applicator to emerge at the mouth and thence to be applied to the load; (d) detecting reflected power of the microwave radiation in the applicator during the application of the low power microwave radiation to the load; (e) adjusting the impedance of the applicator to change the impedance match of the applicator with the load; (f) repeating steps (c), (d), and (e) until an optimum impedance of the applicator that best matches with the impedance of the load is determined as indicated by a minimum reflected power being detected in step (d) of the multiple repetitions of steps (c), (d) and (e); (g) adjusting the impedance of the applicator to match the optimum impedance determined in step (f) so as to provide a calibrated applicator; (h) introducing the subject animal to a stunning station where the animal is to be stunned; (i) restraining the subject animal's head at the stunning station; (j) locating the calibrated applicator in the proximity of the application zone of the subject animal's head; (k) generating microwave radiation of a suitable power level and frequency and directing the radiation along a microwave path to the calibrated applicator so that microwave radiation passing through the applicator and emerging through the mouth thereby heats the animal's brain beneath the application zone; (l) detecting at a location upstream of the applicator reflected power of microwave radiation and, in response to the detected level of reflected power, adjusting the microwave power being delivered to heat the animal's brain; and (m) continuing the application of the microwave radiation to effect the heating for a period of time to raise the temperature of the parts of the animal's brain beneath the skull at the application zone, the period of time being sufficient to induce insensibility of the animal.
6 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the steps (b) to (g) are performed once only to provide the calibrated applicator optimized for a particular animal species and physical characteristics that have heads having conformation and dielectric properties approximated by the load.
7 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein, after the calibrated applicator has been used for stunning of multiple similar animals, the steps (b) to (g) are repeated before the applicator is to be used for a number of further animals similar to each other but different from the animals of the first usage in characteristics selected from: animals of different age, animals of different size, animals of different breeds, animals of different species, animals having differing skull shapes, and animals having differing skull bone densities, so as to thereby provide a recalibrated applicator for a second usage involving the stunning of the further animals.
8 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the load used in step (b) comprises a cadaver animal head.
9 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the load used in step (b) comprises a cadaver animal head.
10 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the load used in step (b) comprises a cadaver animal head.
11 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the low power microwave radiation generated in step (c) does not produce significant heating of the load resulting in significant change in the dielectric properties of the load during the steps (c) to (f).
12 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein step (g) includes fixing the applicator against variation of its impedance to deviate from the optimum impedance and thereby provide the calibrated applicator.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/555,856, filed Oct. 17, 2023, which is a national phase entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application PCT/AU2022/050361, filed Apr. 20, 2022, designating the United States of America and published as International Patent Publication WO 2022/221918 A1 on Oct. 27, 2022, which claims the benefit under Article 8 of the Patent Cooperation Treaty to Australian Patent Application Serial No. 2021901173, filed Apr. 20, 2021, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference. TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to the application of microwave radiation to animals to induce reversible unconsciousness and particularly, but not exclusively, for the purpose of inducing unconsciousness prior to slaughter of the animals. BACKGROUND There have been proposals to apply microwave radiation of a suitable frequency and power level to warm the frontal portion of the brain of an animal to be slaughtered thereby inducing unconsciousness and syncope. In particular, two patent specifications of the present applicant describe such proposals, namely WO 2011/137497 and WO 2014/066953. The apparatus and methods described in these patent specifications aim to provide a balancing of numerous parameters or variables in the processes and apparatus to simultaneously achieve or approach including: producing unconsciousness of the animal rapidly,generating microwave power at levels that can be safely managed in practical industrial plant or abattoirs,producing unconsciousness without killing the animal, particularly for enabling of religious or ritual slaughter compliant with Islamic “Halal” and Judaic “Shechita” criteria,avoiding unnecessary trauma or suffering being caused to the animal particularly so that a more humane animal slaughter is enabled. At least some of these objectives are contradictory in the sense that more closely achieving one objective can worsen the outcome in assessing another objective. For example, using higher power levels can reduce the time to effect unconsciousness but simultaneously this can produce more singeing or blistering or burning of the skin or hide of the animal indicating suffering or trauma may more likely have been inflicted on the animal. A particularly difficult balance of parameters in the systems of the two patent specifications identified has been related to design and operation of the applicator, which is applied to the animal's forehead for directing the microwave radiation so as to warm the frontal portion of the animal's brain. The mouth of the applicator through which microwave radiation emerges to impinge on the animal has been a site where local maxima of the electromagnetic field strength occur. This occurrence of local maxima can result in singeing, blistering or burning of the skin or hide surface and may result in arcing and consequent failure of effective controlled warming of the frontal portion of the animal's brain. Animal welfare considerations, therefore, highlight a difficulty that efforts to address in the past have been less than satisfactory or at least may have been capable of improvement. Reducing the generated power level can help to address these issues, but, as mentioned above, this can lengthen the time required to produce unconsciousness and perhaps even lead to a failure to induce unconsciousness if the animal's blood circulation through the frontal part of the brain and or in its vicinity is sufficient to continuously cool the brain and prevent syncope. Increasing the area of the mouth of the applicator can reduce the flux density and thereby any local field maxima but this can make the applicator unsuitable for many animals, particularly smaller bovines, ovines, and porcines (as well as lengthening the time to achieve effective unconsciousness). Also, a larger mouth size may reduce the effectiveness of brain heating by distributing the heating effect over a larger area of the front of the brain and lead to microwave leakage around the mouth and forehead interface with operational safety concerns. The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art in Australia or elsewhere. BRIEF SUMMARY Provided are methods of inducing unconsciousness of an animal to be treated by applying microwave radiation to the animal in a manner that can be effective while simultaneously improving animal welfare outcomes. Further provided are microwave applicators that can be used in applying microwave radiation to induce unconsciousness of animals while simultaneously addressing animal welfare criteria. When used throughout this specification, including in the claims, the term “applicator” encompasses a device to which microwave energy is transferred from a separate microwave gen