U.S. patent application number 14/108990 was filed with the patent office on 2014-04-17 for method and system for monitoring the condition of livestock.
This patent application is currently assigned to ITI Scotland Limited. The applicant listed for this patent is ITI Scotland Limited. Invention is credited to Paul Edward George Devlin, Toby Mottram.
Application Number | 20140107434 14/108990 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36580803 |
Filed Date | 2014-04-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140107434 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mottram; Toby ; et
al. |
April 17, 2014 |
Method and System for Monitoring the Condition of Livestock
Abstract
A method and system for monitoring the condition of livestock
comprises a plurality of sensors (115, 103, 113, 111, 107, 105) for
sensing a plurality of different behavioural parameters of an
animal. The sensed data is transmitted by a unit (115), wirelessly,
to a central processor (119) and a plurality of status conditions
of the animal is determined on the basis of the transmitted, sensed
data such as the onset of parturition, fertility status and other
health status conditions. The unit (115) may be permanently worn by
the animal and may keep an electronic record of the status
conditions of the animal.
Inventors: |
Mottram; Toby; (Glasgow,
GB) ; Devlin; Paul Edward George; (Larbert,
GB) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ITI Scotland Limited |
Glasgow |
|
GB |
|
|
Assignee: |
ITI Scotland Limited
Glasgow
GB
|
Family ID: |
36580803 |
Appl. No.: |
14/108990 |
Filed: |
December 17, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12226464 |
Feb 12, 2009 |
|
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PCT/GB2007/001423 |
Apr 18, 2007 |
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14108990 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
600/301 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 5/0011 20130101;
A01K 29/005 20130101; A61B 5/0024 20130101; A61B 5/14539 20130101;
A61B 5/1107 20130101; A01K 11/007 20130101; A61B 5/14507 20130101;
A61B 5/1112 20130101; A61B 5/02438 20130101; A61B 5/6815 20130101;
A61B 5/6833 20130101; A61D 17/008 20130101; A61B 5/6828 20130101;
A61B 10/0012 20130101; A61B 5/0002 20130101; A61B 5/1116 20130101;
A61B 5/01 20130101; A61B 5/6838 20130101; A01K 11/00 20130101; A61B
2503/40 20130101; A61D 17/006 20130101; A61B 5/1114 20130101; A61B
90/98 20160201; A61B 5/0816 20130101; A01K 11/008 20130101; A61B
5/7282 20130101; A61B 5/4866 20130101; A61D 17/002 20130101; A61B
5/02055 20130101; A61B 5/4519 20130101; A61B 5/1118 20130101; A61B
5/6831 20130101; A01K 11/001 20130101; A61B 5/0488 20130101; A61B
5/6822 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
600/301 |
International
Class: |
A61B 5/0205 20060101
A61B005/0205; A61D 17/00 20060101 A61D017/00; A61B 5/0488 20060101
A61B005/0488; A61B 5/01 20060101 A61B005/01; A61B 5/145 20060101
A61B005/145; A61B 5/11 20060101 A61B005/11; A61B 5/00 20060101
A61B005/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 18, 2006 |
GB |
0607657.4 |
Claims
1. A method for monitoring the condition of livestock, the method
comprising the steps of: sensing changes in orientation and
movement of an animal's head using at least one multi-axis
accelerometer; determining increased activity of said animal from
said sensed changes in orientation and movement of said animal's
head; determining a plurality of status conditions of said animal
from said determined increased activity, said status conditions
including at least one of fertility, oestrus and prediction of
onset of parturition; and transmitting data, wirelessly, to a
central computer.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determined
increased activity includes at least one of: walking activities of
said animal; standing activities of said animal; lying activities
of said animal; feeding activities of said animal; and drinking
activities of said animal.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further
comprises the steps of: sensing at least one physiological
parameter of said animal; and wherein said plurality of status
conditions are determined on the basis of said determined increased
activity and said at least one sensed, physiological data.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said at least one
physiological parameter includes one of: breathing rate; heart
rate; heart rate variability; body temperature; breath contents;
saliva contents; change of state of at least one muscle and/or
muscle group; degree of contraction of at least one muscle and/or
muscle group; and electro-myograph.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determined status
conditions further include: lameness; infection; and nutritional
disorders.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further
comprises: storing said determined status condition data of said
animal in a unit, permanently, attached to said animal.
7. A system for monitoring the condition of livestock, the system
comprising: at least one multi-axis accelerometer configured to
sense changes in orientation and movement of an animal's head; a
processor configured to determine increased activity of said animal
from said sensed changes in orientation and movement of said
animal's head and to determine a plurality of status conditions of
said animal from said determined increased activity, said status
conditions including at least one of fertility, oestrus and
prediction of onset of parturition; and a transceiver configured to
transmit data, wirelessly, to a central computer.
8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the system further
comprises a plurality of sensors attached to said animal.
9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said plurality of
sensors are attached non-invasively.
10. The system according to claim 8, wherein at least one of said
plurality of sensors is reusable.
11. The system according to claim 8, wherein said at least one
multi-axis accelerometer and said plurality of sensors are
connected in a network.
12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the system further
comprises at least one fixed antenna configured to receive said
transmitted data.
13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the transmitted data
received by the antenna is transferred to said central
computer.
14. The system according to claim 7, wherein the transceiver is
further configured to receive data from said central computer.
15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said received data
includes sensed status condition data and/or environmental data
and/or manually entered status condition data and/or programming
data.
16. A device for monitoring the condition of livestock, the device
comprising: attachment means configured to attach the device to an
animal; at least one multi-axis accelerometer configured to sense
changes in orientation and movement of an animal's head; a
processor configured to determine increased activity of said animal
from said sensed changes in orientation and movement of said
animal's head and to determine a plurality of status conditions of
said animal from said determined increased activity, said status
conditions including at least one of fertility, oestrus and
prediction of onset of parturition; and a transceiver configured to
transmit data, wirelessly, to a central computer.
17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the device further
comprises a plurality of sensors.
18. The device according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said
plurality of sensors is reusable.
19. The device according to claim 17, wherein said plurality of
sensors are connected in a network.
20. The device according to claim 16, wherein the device is
remotely programmable.
21. The device according to claim 16, wherein said attachment means
comprises a collar, ear tag, halter, belt, tail tag or adhesive
patch.
22. The device according to claim 16, wherein said transceiver is
further configured to receive data from said central computer.
23. The device according to claim 22, wherein said received data
includes sensed data condition data, environmental data, manually
entered status condition data, or programming data.
24. The device according to claim 16, wherein said device further
comprises: storage means for storing status condition data of said
animal.
25. A method for monitoring the condition of livestock, the method
comprising the steps of: sensing changes in orientation and
movement of an animal's head using at least one 3-axis
accelerometer; determining increased walking activity of said
animal from said sensed changes in orientation and movement;
determining oestrus, at least, of said animal from said determined
increased walking activity; and transmitting data, wirelessly, to a
central computer.
26. The method according to claim 25, wherein said step of
determining increased walking activity further comprises:
determining at least one additional activity, including: standing
activities of said animal; lying activities of said animal;
absolute location of said animal; relative location of said animal
to another animal; feeding activities of said animal; and drinking
activities of said animal.
27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the method further
comprises the step of: sensing at least one physiological parameter
of said animal; and wherein a plurality of status conditions are
determined on the basis of said sensing changes in orientation and
movement of an animal's head and said at least one sensed,
physiological data.
28. The method according to claim 27, wherein said at least one
physiological parameter includes one of: breathing rate; heart
rate; heart rate variability; body temperature; breath contents;
saliva contents; change of state of at least one muscle and/or
muscle group; degree of contraction of at least one muscle and/or
muscle group; and electro-myograph.
29. The method according to claim 25, wherein said determined
status conditions further include: fertility; prediction of onset
of parturition; lameness; infection; and nutritional disorders.
30. The method according to claim 25, wherein the method further
comprises: storing said determined status condition data of said
animal in a unit, permanently, attached to said animal.
31. A system for monitoring the condition of livestock, the system
comprising: at least one 3-axis accelerometer configured to sense
changes in orientation and movement of an animal's head; a
processor configured to determine increased walking activity of
said animal from said sensed changes in orientation and movement of
said animal's head and to determine oestrus of said animal from
said determined increased walking activity; and a transceiver
configured to transmit data, wirelessly, to a central computer.
32. The system according to claim 31, wherein the system further
comprises a plurality of sensors attached to said animal.
33. The system according to claim 32, wherein said plurality of
sensors are attached non-invasively.
34. The system according to claim 32, wherein at least one of said
plurality of sensors is reusable.
35. The system according to claim 32, wherein said at least one
3-axis accelerometer and said plurality of sensors are connected in
a network.
36. The system according to claim 31, wherein the system further
comprises at least one fixed antenna configured to receive said
transmitted data.
37. The system according to claim 36, wherein the transmitted data
received by the antenna is transferred to said central
computer.
38. The system according to claim 31, wherein the transceiver is
further configured to receive data from said central computer.
39. The system according to claim 38, wherein said received data
includes sensed status condition data, environmental data, manually
entered status condition data or programming data.
40. A device for monitoring the condition of livestock, the device
comprising; attachment means configured to attach the device to an
animal; at least one 3-axis accelerometer configured to sense
changes in orientation and movement of an animal's head; a
processor configured to determine increased walking activity of
said animal from said sensed changes in orientation and movement
and determine oestrus of said animal; and a transceiver configured
to transmit data, wirelessly, to a central computer.
41. The device according to claim 40, wherein said device further
comprises a plurality of sensors.
42. The device according to claim 41, wherein said plurality of
sensors are attached non-invasively.
43. The device according to claim 41, wherein at least one of said
plurality of sensors is reusable.
44. The device according to claim 41, wherein said plurality of
sensors are connected in a network.
45. The device according to claim 40, wherein the device is
remotely programmable.
46. The device according to claim 40, wherein said attachment means
comprises a collar, ear tag, halter, belt, tail tag or adhesive
patch.
47. The device according to claim 40, wherein said transceiver is
further configured to receive data from said central computer.
48. The device according to claim 47, wherein said received data
includes environmental data, manually entered status condition data
or programming data.
49. The device according to claim 40, wherein said device further
comprises: storage means configured to store status condition data
of said animal.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is a continuation application of
co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/226,464, filed on
Feb. 12, 2009, which is a national stage application under 35
U.S.C. .sctn.371 of International Patent Application Number
PCT/GB2007/001423, filed Apr. 18, 2007, which claims the benefit of
Great Britain Patent Application Serial No. 0607657.4, filed Apr.
18, 2006, each of which are incorporated herein by reference in
their entirety.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT
[0003] Not Applicable
INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT
DISC
[0004] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0005] 1. Field of the Invention
[0006] The present invention relates to a method and system for
monitoring the condition of livestock. In particular, it relates to
remotely monitoring the behavioural and physiological states of
livestock to determine their welfare, health and fertility
condition.
[0007] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0008] With increasing awareness of health related issues
concerning livestock and the significant losses that arise from
poor fertility management, the farming industry has been forced to
adapt in maintaining accurate records of livestock. As the size of
farms increase, the ability of a stockman to keep records and track
individual animals becomes increasingly difficult. There are many
known systems for electronically tagging animals for identification
purposes etc. Identification data is held in a unit worn by the
animal in a neck collar, ear tag or injected transponder or the
like. The data can be extracted as required at fixed or mobile
locations.
[0009] It is also known to utilise such tags to collect data
relating to activities of the animal, for example U.S. Pat. No.
5,857,434. U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,434 discloses detection of oestrus
in dairy cattle. A transponder unit worn in a collar around the
animal's neck detects the movement of the animal. During oestrus,
the animal becomes agitated and moves around more frequently. This
increased activity is detected and transmitted, along with
identification data for the animal, to a central processor. The
data is then processed and analysed to establish whether oestrus is
detected and this is indicated to the stockman. The transponder
merely collects the movement data of the animal. This data is then
transmitted and centrally processed. The transponder does not
detect oestrus. Further only a single condition, oestrus, is
monitored and the system does not provide data concerning other
health related matters.
[0010] Further some existing systems require sensors to be attached
invasively which is distressing to the animal and requires the
skill of a veterinary surgeon. Further such forms of attachment to
the animal have limited ability to transmit information from the
animal for use by the stockman.
[0011] Further existing systems, such as that disclosed by GB
2347503 and CA 1296068, comprise a range of sensors for monitoring
the physiological parameters of an animal for determining the
health of the animal. However, these require complex and,
invariably, temperamental sensory instruments in order to monitor
the physiological parameters making the system overall very
expensive and hence impractical for monitoring all animals in a
very large herd or group in a farming environment.
[0012] Furthermore due to the complexity of these systems, they
require professional assistance, such as a veterinary surgeon, to
set up, program and maintain the system which is impractical for an
extremely large number of animals. Further, as such systems monitor
physiological parameters, it is less intuitive to the stockman, who
traditionally relies on observation to monitor health, to confirm
the condition indicated by the system, thus making it more
difficult for the stockman to verify the accuracy of the
system.
[0013] Further, in monitoring the condition of livestock, a key
period for health monitoring in cattle, sheep, horses and pigs is
in the period immediately before and after parturition. None of the
existing systems disclose specific monitoring during such
periods.
[0014] At present there is no system that can do any of the
condition based monitoring of cattle necessary to improve both the
health and fertility monitoring of animals. Monitoring is still by
human visual observation as it has been since the first
domestication of animals. However, it has become increasingly
desirable for better management of livestock, in particular health
monitoring in livestock in the period immediately before and after
parturition and to reduce losses from dystocia, hypocalcaemia and
other diseases.
[0015] It has also become increasingly desirable to reduce time
lost moving animals unnecessarily for veterinary examination.
Further, it is desirable to provide earlier intervention in cases
of metritis and lameness and thus improve welfare and possibly
productivity of animals such as dairy cattle as well as provide
improved oestrus detection.
[0016] With the increasing scale of farming, it has become
increasingly difficult and impractical for stockmen to rely on
traditional observation techniques to ensure health and welfare of
their stock. There has therefore been an increasing need for
additional monitoring systems to be utilised.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The invention seeks to provide remote, continuous monitoring
of various parameters relating to the condition of livestock, such
as cattle, sheep, pigs, horses and the like which mitigates the
above mentioned disadvantages.
[0018] This is achieved according to an aspect of the present
invention by a method for monitoring the condition of livestock,
the method comprising the steps of: sensing changes in orientation
and movement of an animal's head using at least one multi-axis
accelerometer; determining increased activity of said animal from
said sensed changes in orientation and movement of said animal's
head; determining a plurality of status conditions of said animal
from said determined increased activity, said status conditions
including at least one of fertility, oestrus and prediction of
onset of parturition; and transmitting data, wirelessly, to a
central computer.
[0019] This is also achieved according to an aspect of the present
invention by a system for monitoring the condition of livestock,
the system comprising: at least one multi-axis accelerometer
configured to sense changes in orientation and movement of an
animal's head; a processor configured to determine increased
activity of said animal from said sensed changes in orientation and
movement of said animal's head and to determine a plurality of
status conditions of said animal from said determined increased
activity, said status conditions including at least one of
fertility, oestrus and prediction of onset of parturition; and a
transceiver configured to transmit data, wirelessly, to a central
computer.
[0020] Further, this is achieved according to another aspect of the
present invention by a device for monitoring the condition of
livestock, the device comprising attachment means configured to
attach the device to an animal; at least one multi-axis
accelerometer configured to sense changes in orientation and
movement of an animal's head; a processor configured to determine
increased activity of said animal from said sensed changes in
orientation and movement of said animal's head and to determine a
plurality of status conditions of said animal from said determined
increased activity, said status conditions including at least one
of fertility, oestrus and prediction of onset of parturition; and a
transceiver configured to transmit data, wirelessly, to a central
computer.
[0021] Further, this is achieved according to yet another aspect of
the present invention by a method for monitoring the condition of
livestock, the method comprising the steps of: sensing changes in
orientation and movement of an animal's head using at least one
3-axis accelerometer; determining increased walking activity of
said animal from said sensed changes in orientation and movement;
determining oestrus, at least, of said animal from said determined
increased walking activity; and transmitting data, wirelessly, to a
central computer.
[0022] Further, this is achieved according to yet another aspect of
the present invention by a system for monitoring the condition of
livestock, the system comprising: at least one 3-axis accelerometer
configured to sense changes in orientation and movement of an
animal's head; a processor configured to determine increased
walking activity of said animal from said sensed changes in
orientation and movement of said animal's head and to determine
oestrus of said animal from said determined increased walking
activity; and a transceiver configured to transmit data,
wirelessly, to a central computer.
[0023] Further, this is achieved according to yet another aspect of
the present invention by a device for monitoring the condition of
livestock, the device comprising attachment means configured to
attach the device to an animal; at least one 3-axis accelerometer
configured to sense changes in orientation and movement of an
animal's head; a processor configured to determine increased
walking activity of said animal from said sensed changes in
orientation and movement and determine oestrus of said animal; and
a transceiver configured to transmit data, wirelessly, to a central
computer.
[0024] The monitor worn by the subject (animal) collates and
processes the data in respect of the detected parameters of the
livestock. The monitor transmits the data; say for example, via a
local area network to a processor, which may in turn be linked via
wireless communication to a central data processor and storage
device. The data may be contained in a local database for use by
the stockman and may also be contained in a national or veterinary
health information database for wider reference and analysis. On
the basis of the detected parameters, a plurality of status
conditions, such as for example, oestrus, onset of parturition,
lameness, disease, can be derived as an indication of the overall
condition of the animal. Since increased activity is monitored, the
system is less complex and the monitored behaviour can be easily
confirmed by stockman observations, making use of the system more
intuitive, thus increasing the stockman's confidence in the
system.
[0025] In an embodiment of the present invention, the system
comprises a network of sensors attached to the animal. The sensors
may be included in a neck collar, head collar, eartag, tail
attachment or patches adhered to the skin of the animal or any
combination thereof. The sensors are therefore fitted in a
non-invasive manner. The sensors may be connected in a bus-like
architecture to allow easy addition and removal of sensors as
required. Further, the sensors may be reusable.
[0026] The sensors may measure location, movement, sound and
optical change. The monitor worn by the animal may also include a
processor to collect and process information and control
communication, software embedded on the processor, a transceiver
and a memory store for recording sensor data.
[0027] The monitor worn by the animal communicates with an external
antenna. The external antenna may comprise a distributed network of
antennae provided at different locations. The antennae may download
data wirelessly to a local computer system containing a stock
management database to be analysed and provide output of prediction
and current behaviour/condition of the animals. The analysis is
based upon physiological models which can be updated remotely.
[0028] The system of the present invention therefore provides
effective livestock management and veterinary assistance to predict
and react to the onset of conditions such as fertility status,
parturition and to detect, at an early stage, lameness of the
animals.
[0029] The system may be easily extended to predict the onset of
disease and predict its epidemiological spread by its links to
national or other level databases.
[0030] The system may be supplied with various methods of supplying
the livestock manager with predictions of conditions; these could
include mobile telephone messages, computer screens and milking
parlour displays.
[0031] The data may be downloaded from the monitor units worn by
the animal to the distributed network of external antennae
utilising radio protocols such as Bluetooth or Zigbee. Preferably
the antennae are placed near congregation points for the livestock,
such as feed area, watering troughs, etc. The data may be
transferred to a local processor where data analysis is carried out
providing information to the stockman and/or uploading a data
summary to a regional or national database, where the data is
correlated.
[0032] The system of the present invention can be utilised to
detect the onset of parturition, illness such as lameness and
fertility status. The aim is that a network of physical sensors is
used to determine behavioural and physiological indicators of
condition status and an indication of time of onset of a subsequent
condition. Various parameters of the animal are recorded
electronically by the monitor unit worn by the animal that can be
communicated with any suitably equipped vehicle, market reception,
and abbatoir to monitor the health and welfare of an animal as it
moves through the food chain. The attachment of the monitor unit is
designed to be robust so that it can be worn for long continuous
periods as necessary, for example, for the life of the animal. The
monitor unit may record a health status record of the animal. This
record stored within the monitor unit is then permanently attached
to the animal, that is, it is worn for the life of the animal. The
data stored may include, for example, birth data, birth location,
subsequent lactations, date of parturition, past or predicted
health incidents etc.
[0033] The monitor unit may be a "smart" unit incorporating
multiple sensors, a versatile communications infrastructure and
multiple behavioural models. The unit of the present invention may
incorporate multi-modal sensors incorporating behavioural and
physiological analysis to monitor specific conditions in livestock
allowing multiple conditions to be monitored simultaneously.
[0034] Further, this is achieved according to yet another aspect of
the present invention by a device for maintaining an electronic
record of condition of livestock, the device comprising: storage
means for storing a plurality of records of condition of a subject;
means for permanently attaching the device to said subject.
Further, some or all of the monitor electronic record may be stored
using external storage means e.g. a farm or national database and
may be permanently associated with the local monitor electronic
record.
[0035] In this way various conditions of the animal are recorded
electronically by the monitor unit worn by the animal that can be
communicated with any suitably equipped vehicle, market reception,
and abbatoir to monitor the health and welfare of an animal as it
moves through the food chain. The monitor unit is worn permanently
by the animal in that it is attached for the life of the animal.
The monitor unit may record a health status record of the animal.
This record stored within the monitor unit is then permanently
attached to the animal. The data stored may include, for example,
birth data, birth location, subsequent lactations, date of
parturition, past or predicted health incidents etc.
[0036] The monitor unit may also receive data from the central
processor such as status condition data derived from the sensed
data, any environmental data, manually entered status condition
data such as actual parturition dates and other observed health
issues noted by the stockman, programming data to reprogram the
monitor unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0037] For a complete understanding of the present invention,
reference is made to the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0038] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the system according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0039] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the device worn by
the animal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0040] FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the method according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0041] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the sensory step of the method
according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0042] FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c are a graphical representation of an
example of a condition monitored according to the embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0043] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the system according to an
embodiment of the present invention comprises a collar 101 fitted
around the neck of an animal. A monitor unit 115 is attached to the
neck collar 101. Although, in this embodiment the unit 115 is
fitted to a neck collar, it can be appreciated that the unit can be
fitted to any convenient fixture device such as for example an ear
tag 103, head collar 105, leg attachment 107 or belt (not shown
here), transdermal patches 109, 111, ingested bolus 113 or any one
of these in addition or in place of the collar 101. The unit 115 is
intended to be attached to the animal for continuous monitoring.
The attachment needs to be robust to remain attached to the animal
for a continuous period, which may in some circumstances be the
life of the animal. Although the collar is shown fitted around the
neck of a cow, it can be appreciated that the apparatus can be
attached to any animal such as for example dairy cow, beef cow,
buffalo, sheep, goat, pig, horse and the like.
[0044] The collar 101 is fitted to make a snug fit so that it is
not slideably moveable along the neck of the animal as the animal
head moves up and down extensively such as when the animal is
feeding or drinking. The fitting of the collar 101 must be secure
to prevent accidental loss during normal activities of the animal
such as rubbing against a post and knocking against the bars of a
grill on a feeding trough etc. The fixture of the collar 101 may be
by means of a buckle, sliding clip etc. The fixture may include a
self-tensioning device to maintain a predetermined tension to
ensure accurate fitting of the collar.
[0045] The unit 115 may be mounted onto the collar 101 or may be
formed integral with the collar 101. The collar 101 further
comprises an antenna (not shown here) which may be contained in the
unit 115 or within the collar 101. The unit 115 comprises a
plurality of sensors 201, 203, 205 for monitoring behavioural
parameters at least and also sensors for monitoring physiological
parameters as shown, for example, in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 illustrates 3
sensors, a 3-D accelerometer 201, a locator (such as GPS) 203 and a
microphone 205. However, any number of sensors may be envisaged
such as electromagnetic or field effect sensors, e.g. Hall effect
sensors or distance from ground sensors.
[0046] The apparatus may further comprise means for monitoring the
distance of the collar above ground. This may be in combination
with a sensor to indicate the normal position of the animal's neck
with respect to its body. The distance to ground of the collar can
provide an indication of whether the animal is standing or lying.
This may comprise a range sensor attached to the collar on the
underside of the animal's neck, pointing at an angle that, for the
median range of what is considered normal neck repose, assumes a
vertical or near vertical orientation and therefore provides a
vertical range from the sensor location to ground level.
[0047] Sensing of the neck orientation may be achieved using
inclinometers, tilt or magnetometer sensors providing geometric
information, any fixed distance measuring device mounted on the
collar on the underside of the animal's neck, can be easily
verified against a range of acceptable orientations to supply a
valid distance of the neck above ground. Inexpensive distance
measuring sensors can be used, such as for example an ultrasonic
distance measuring sensor which can provide tolerable accuracies
when measuring from fixed reference points projecting to varying
ground textures such as grass, straw bedding, concrete flooring
etc.
[0048] The ability to discriminate standing and lying conditions of
an animal can be invaluable in determining a status condition of
the animal. For example, during parturition, it is important to
know that the animal stands quickly post-partum. This indicates
that the mother is able to foster and cleanse its offspring.
[0049] The apparatus may further include a plurality of remote
sensors 207 positioned elsewhere on the animal outside of the
housing of the unit 115 such as sensors for measuring body
temperature, humidity, pH of biological fluids, electrical
potentials from physiological processes, Hall effects, optical
sensors of blood flow or blood oxygenation, vocalisation and
respiration, breath and saliva contents, environment temperature
and humidity. These remote sensors may be found in an ingested
bolus 113, or patches 109, 111. Additional remote sensors may be
included in the eartags 103, head collar 105 and/or leg attachment
107. In an alternative arrangement, the unit 115 may be mounted in
the eartag 103, head collar 105 or leg attachment 107 etc.
[0050] The unit 115 further comprises a local processor 209 which
is connected to the sensors 201, 203, 205 via, respective, analogue
to digital converters 211_1, 211_2 and 211_3. The plurality of
remote sensors 207 is connected to the processor 209 via a wireless
link such as short wave radio. The outputs of the remote sensors
207 are digitised via respective analogue to digital converters
(not shown here). The unit 115 may further comprise pre-processing
means (not shown here) for processing the outputs of the sensors
prior to transmission, for example, filtering.
[0051] Each remote sensor 207 has a unique identifier associated
with a particular animal to prevent remote sensors attached to a
neighbouring beast being received and processed by the local
processor.
[0052] The unit 115 further comprises a local memory store 213, a
power source 215 and a transceiver device 217 connected to the
processor 209. The power source 215 may comprise replaceable or
rechargeable batteries. The unit 115 includes convenient access to
a battery housing for replacement etc. of the batteries of the
power source 215.
[0053] The sensors 201, 203, 205 and 207 are connected via a bus
architecture so that additional sensors can be added or removed as
required. Preferably the sensors are reusable so that they can be
reprogrammed and fitted to another animal etc.
[0054] The system further comprises at least one fixed antenna 117.
The antenna 117 is provided in a location on the farm where the
animal is expected to be in the vicinity of at least once a day so
that data collected by the unit 115 can be downloaded. The antenna
117 may be located at the entrance or exit of a milking parlour or
at a drinking or feeding trough for example. The antenna may form
part of a distributed network of antennae located at various
locations such as drinking troughs, sheds, milking parlour etc. The
data downloads may be required at more or less frequent intervals.
For example, if the output sensory data indicates that the animal
is in distress, the system can request via the antenna 117 more
frequent downloads. Further, as the predicted parturition date
approaches, downloads could be made more frequently, at say, 3 hour
intervals. This is possible as many animals are housed in pens as
parturition approaches and could therefore be housed in the
vicinity of at least one antenna for convenient, frequent
downloads.
[0055] The system further comprises a local computer (PC) 119
having a display and printer connected thereto. The local computer
119 is remotely connected to a national database 121 via, say, the
interne. The local computer 119 may also provide output to a
hand-held electronic device 123 such as a mobile telephone or
palmtop. The local computer 119 provides 2-way communication with
the antenna 117 such that a unit 115 can be reprogrammed or reset
by the stockman or reprogrammed automatically to request more
frequent downloads for example. Further the two-way communication
between the computer 119, antenna 117 and unit 115 allows other
data to be transferred to the unit 115.
[0056] With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, operation of the apparatus
will be described in more detail.
[0057] The sensors 201, 203 205, 207 continuously monitor a variety
of behavioural (and physiological) parameters of the animal. The
digitised output of the sensors 201, 203, 205 and 207 are collated
by the processor 209 and are stored in the local memory 213. At
predetermined time interval or upon detected of the unit 115 in the
vicinity of an antenna 105, the collated data for that time
interval is transmitted by the transceiver 217 to the antenna 117.
This data is then transferred to the local, farm computer 119. The
farm computer 119 stores records for each animal by virtue of the
animal's unique identifier which may be stored in its eartag 103.
This identifier may be virtually linked to the animal's unique
electronic legislative identity. As data is downloaded from the
antenna 117 on, say, a daily basis. The farm records can be updated
automatically providing the stockman with an updated status of each
animal. The updated status of the animal may also be communicated
for storage in the local store 213 of the unit 115 such that this
data can be downloaded from the unit 115 in the event that the
animal leaves the farm. The data stored in the farm computer 119
and/or local store 213 of the unit 115 may include the animal's
unique identifier, current condition, for example maiden, pregnant,
lactation, number of lactations, days in milk, lame, predicted
parturition date, predicted next oestrus (fertility status),
suspected illness, of last update where the data is analysed.
[0058] The various sensor outputs indicating the behavioural status
301 of the animal is received by the computer system 119 via the
antenna 117. This data is compared to a reference physiological
data model of the sensory outputs and the behavioural status 301.
The 3-D accelerometer 201 records the spatial orientation and
movement of the animal's head. This data is analysed by the farm
computer 119 to indicate behavioural patterns such as time spent
lying, standing; walking 401 and time spent feeding or drinking
403. The microphone 205 records noises made by the animal which can
be analysed to indicate time spent eating, ruminating (in the case
of a ruminant) and vocalisation 403 and in addition respiration
rate and heart rate. The locator 205 provides the location of the
animal 405. The relative location 407 may also be monitored. The
location data can be analysed to indicate whether the animal is
with the herd or keeping up with the herd which may indicate health
problems. These are examples only and a number of additional
sensory inputs may be analysed to provide additional inputs to the
behavioural status 301 of the animal. For example, the additional
remote sensors 207 may include monitoring the change of state of a
muscle or muscle group or the degree of contraction of a muscle,
e.g. Electrohysterogram (EHG), foetal heart rate, body temperature
and blood oxygenation.
[0059] In a particular example, the output of the accelerometer 201
indicates movement of the animal's head and in combination with the
output of the locator 203 indicate when the animal's head is down
feeding or drinking. Erratic eating or drinking patterns could
indicate that the animal is ill and/or distressed. If the head
movement is vigorous during feeding, this would indicate that the
animal is healthy. Thresholds of the frequencies of head movement
can be set whilst taking into consideration the food type and
texture and the age of the animal such that frequency of head
movement above the threshold indicates the animal is healthy and
below the threshold indicates the animal is ill.
[0060] The output date of the sensors 201, 203, 205 can also be
used to predict fertility status such as oestrus. It is observed
that many animals change their behavioural pattern at this time.
They generally become more active, fidget and more agitated. The
accelerometer and locator indicate increased walking activity in
the animal. Its relative location to the other animals may also
provide an indication of fertility status.
[0061] The behavioural status 301 of the animal can also be
utilised to indicate the general health 303, such for example
prediction of the onset of parturition and subsequent lactation,
the foetal heart rate indicating health of the unborn, the
detection of deviations from a pattern indicating wellness,
detection of hypocalcaemia, detection of dystocia, parturition,
metritis, lameness, acidosis and ketosis and fertility status 305
such as oestrus. Additional input via the farm computer 119 may be
provided by manual input 307 by the stockman and/or milk sensors
309 monitoring milk production etc. Other inputs may be considered
such as environment sensed data such as temperature and humidity,
weather conditions provided from other sources. The output of the
health status 303, fertility status 305 is provided to the stockman
via a display or printer for action 311 such as insemination,
inspection etc. In this way the system provides an effective way of
informing the stockman of various condition status of each animal
so that the stockman has better knowledge of the condition of his
livestock to enable him to manage feeding, location, bedding,
mineral offerings, drug requirements. The predictions provided by
the system also enable the stockman to manage more easily farm
resources etc. The system may provide an alarm system to indicate
an urgent condition status such as difficulties in parturition or
indication of serious illnesses such as hypocalcaemia and
hypomagnesaemia which require immediate attention.
[0062] As illustrated in FIG. 5, an example of a condition
monitored by the embodiment of the present invention is
illustrated, lameness. Lameness, in particular in dairy cattle, is
problematic and therefore it is highly desirable to monitor such a
condition in dairy cattle.
[0063] As illustrated in FIG. 5a, the normal gait of an animal is
represented generally as a smooth, rhythmic head movement which is
detected by the accelerometer sensor 201. However, in a lame animal
the movement is more erratic with jerky movements as illustrated in
FIG. 5b. This output is analysed by the farm computer, for example
by counting novel singularities or measuring the change of slope or
integrating area under an RMS or by FFT of the frequency data to
detect anomalies as illustrated in FIG. 5c. Numerous mathematical
techniques are available and can be overlaid to extract features
from the data.
[0064] Although a preferred embodiment of the method and system has
been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the
foregoing detailed description, it will be understood that the
invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed, but is
capable of numerous variations, modifications without departing
from the scope of the invention as set out in the following
claims.
* * * * *