System and methods for health monitoring of anonymous animals in livestock groups

• US 20100198023A1
• Filed: 02/03/2009
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faunus Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Faunus Ltd.
• Inventors: ELAZARI-VOLCANI, Ron, YANAI, Ehud
• Granted Patent: US 8,297,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7282 Event detection, e.g. detecting unique waveforms indicative of a medical condition A61B5/4094, A61B5/4818, A61B5/349, A61B5/0823 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61D 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/00 Heating or cooling appliances for medical or therapeutic treatment of the human body heating or cooling means in connection with bedsteads or mattresses A47C21/00 ; massage, therapeutic baths A61H; hyperthermia using electric or magnetic fields or ultrasound A61N; electric heating elements H05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu

Abstract

Computerized system and method for livestock groups health monitoring comprising: a storage and computing unit storing at least one database; a plurality of data collecting units of different types, each type comprising at least one sensor, the data collecting unit types selected from the group consisting of acoustic sensors, vitality meters, ammonia sensors, visual sensors and scent sensors; first communication means for communicating operating commands from the storage and computing unit to each of the data collecting units and for communicating data from the data collecting units to the storage and computing unit; and second communication means for communicating between the storage and computing unit and a user device.

Claims

1. Livestock groups computerized health monitoring system comprising:

a storage and computing unit storing at least one database;

a plurality of data collecting units of different types, each type comprising at least one sensor, said data collecting unit types selected from the group consisting of acoustic sensors, vitality meters, ammonia sensors, visual sensors and scent sensors; and

first communication means for communicating operating commands from the storage and computing unit to each of the data collecting units and for communicating data from the data collecting units to the storage and computing unit.

2. The system according to claim 1, additionally comprising second communication means for communicating between the storage and computing unit and a user device.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said sensors comprise identification means and wherein said first communication means comprise means for communicating operating command to a selected number of identified sensors.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one database comprises, for each parameter measured by the sensors, quantified records of the measured parameter and quantified records indicating normal status, abnormalities and pathologies.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said storage and computing unit comprises software means for:

computing said quantified records of the measured parameters;

comparing the computed records to said quantified records indicating normal status, abnormalities and pathologies; and

analyzing the comparison results.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said storage and computing unit additionally comprises software means for analyzing said quantified records of the measured parameters for changes over time.

7. The system according to claim 2, additionally comprising alert means configured to communicate an alert to said user device upon detection of deviation from normal in data communicated by at least one of said data collecting unit types.

8. The system according to claim 2, wherein said user device is selected from the group consisting of personal computer, telephone and mobile phone.

9. The system according to claim 1, additionally comprising means for acquiring data from external measuring systems selected from the group consisting of feeding, watering, weighting, temperature and humidity.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said acoustic sensors comprise microphones and wherein said database comprises vocal signatures.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said vocal signatures pertain to at least one of different parts of the day, different seasons, different stages of the group'"'"'s development, different species and different breeds.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said visual sensors comprise digital cameras capable of capturing the entire group, a specific zone or an individual.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vitality meters are attached to a sample of statistically sufficient number of sentinels within the group.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein each sentinel comprises at least one of an identification means and location means.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein said livestock comprise one of poultry, bees, cattle, sheep and goats.

16. A computerized method for monitoring the health of livestock groups, comprising the steps of:

collecting measurements data from a plurality of data collecting units of different types, each type comprising at least one sensor, said data collecting unit types selected from the group consisting of acoustic sensors, vitality meters, ammonia sensors, visual sensors and scent sensors;

computing quantified records of the measured parameters;

comparing the computed records to pre-stored quantified records indicating normal status, abnormalities and pathologies; and

analyzing the comparison results.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said sensors comprise identification means and wherein said measurement data is collected from a selected number of identified sensors.

18. The method according to claim 16, additionally comprising the step of categorizing said quantified records of the measured parameters in view of said comparison results as new normal, abnormal or pathological phenomena, according to predefined criteria.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said predefined criteria comprise changes over time.

20. The method according to claim 16, additionally comprising the step of analyzing said quantified records of the measured parameters for changes over time.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein said step of analyzing comprises analyzing the comparison results of a plurality of measured parameters.

22. The method according to claim 16, additionally comprising the step of communicating an alert to a user device upon detection of deviation from normal in data communicated by at least one of said data collecting unit types.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein said user device is selected from the group consisting of personal computer, telephone and mobile phone.

24. The method according to claim 16, additionally comprising the step of acquiring data from external measuring systems.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein said external measuring systems are selected from the group consisting of feeding, watering, weighting, temperature and humidity.

26. The method according to claim 16, wherein said pre-stored quantified records pertaining to the acoustic sensors comprise vocal signatures.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein said stored vocal signatures pertain to at least one of different parts of the day, different seasons and different stages of the group'"'"'s development, different species and different breeds.

28. The method according to claim 16, additionally comprising the step of attaching said vitality meters to a sample of statistically sufficient number of sentinels within the group.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein each sentinel comprises at least one of marking means and location means.

30. The method according to claim 16, wherein said livestock comprise one of poultry, bees, cattle, sheep and goats.