PREGNANCY TEST SYSTEM

• US 20130204148A1
• Filed: 08/12/2011
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Heard Systems Pty Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Heard Systems Pty Ltd.
• Inventors: Tapson, Jonathan Craig, Gargiulo, Gaetano, Shephard, Richard William
• Granted Patent: US 8,838,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/25 Bioelectric electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R
• CPC Class Codes: A61D 17/006 for detecting pregnancy of animals

Abstract

A pregnancy test system (10) includes a carrier (14) carrying a plurality of (sensors 12) arranged in a fixed relationship relative to one another. A signal processing (circuit 42) processes data sensed by the sensors (12) and outputs a data signal representative of the pregnancy status of an animal being examined. A support arrangement (24) supports the carrier (14) in a desired position relative to the animal. A positioning mechanism (26) is associated with the carrier (14) for positioning the carrier (14) at the desired position relative to the animal.

Claims

1. A pregnancy test system which includes

a carrier carrying a plurality of sensors arranged in a fixed relationship relative to one another;

a signal processing circuit for processing data sensed by the sensors and for outputting a data signal representative of the pregnancy status of an animal being examined, the signal processing circuit being operative to minimise artifacts to enable at least one signal of interest to be analysed in the signal processing circuitry using a plurality of techniques in parallel to make a pregnancy assessment; and

a support arrangement for supporting the carrier in a desired position relative to the animal, the support arm being mountable on an animal restraint system.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the sensors are arranged in a fixed array.

3. The system of claim 2 in which the fixed array of sensors comprises an array of electrodes arranged in a predetermined relationship with respect to one another.

4. The system of claim 1 in which the sensors include at least one audio sensor.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the carrier mounts the sensors flexibly to provide compliant displacement of the sensors in a direction of application of the sensors.

6. The system of claim 1 in which the support arrangement includes a support arm for supporting the carrier.

7. The system of claim 6 in which the support arm is attachable to an animal restraint arrangement.

8. The system of claim 7 in which the animal restraint arrangement is an automatic milking system and the carrier is responsive to a positioning mechanism of the automatic milking system for positioning the carrier relative to the animal being tested.

9. The system of claim 1 which includes a dedicated positioning mechanism for positioning the carrier relative to the animal being tested.

10. An animal restraint system which includes a pregnancy test system, as claimed in claim 1, mounted on it.

11. The system of claim 10 which is in the form of an automatic milking system.

12. A method of conducting a pregnancy test on an animal, the method including

while the animal is being restrained, positioning a carrier carrying a plurality of sensors arranged in a fixed relationship relative to one another in position relative to the animal, the sensors measuring one or more signals representative of the presence of a foetus;

feeding data from the sensors to signal processing circuitry to process the data to provide an indication of the pregnancy status of the animal being tested; and

in the signal processing circuitry;

minimising artifacts to enable at least one signal of interest to be analysed; and

using a plurality of techniques in parallel to analyse to signal of interest to make a pregnancy assessment.

13. The method of claim 12 which includes robotically positioning the carrier relative to the animal.

14. The method of claim 13 which includes restraining the animal in an automatic milking system and in which the method includes using a robotic positioning mechanism of the automatic milking system for positioning the carrier.

15. The method of claim 12 which includes positioning the carrier in the region of an udder of the animal to detect foetal biosignals.

16. The method of claim 15 which includes positioning the carrier on an abdomen of the animal forward of its udder and straddling a sagittal plane of the animal.

17. The method of claim 15 which includes monitoring the animal to obtain biosignals representative of the animal'"'"'s cardiac activity.

18. The method of claim 17 which includes monitoring the animal simultaneously to detect foetal biosignals and biosignals representative of the animal'"'"'s cardiac activity.