Acoustically Enhanced Pet Animal Collar for Health & Vital Signs Monitoring, Alert and Diagnosis

• US 20140196673A1
• Filed: 01/17/2013
• Published: 07/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Petpace Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Petpace Ltd.
• Inventors: MENKES, Avi, BUKCHIN, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,440,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 119/859
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 27/009 with electric-shock, sound, magnetic- or radio-waves emitting devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/40 Animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721

Abstract

An acoustically enhanced collar for monitoring vital signs of a pet animal, may comprise an elastic band having a working surface configured to wrap around a neck of a pet animal and an oppositely faced rear surface, at least one sensor element situated along a circumference of the band and configured to measure at least one bioparameter from the following bioparameters: temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, movement; at least one acoustic concentrator projecting as a bump toward the neck from the working surface on a first side of the at least one sensor element; at least one acoustic concentrator projecting as a bump toward the portion from the working surface on a second side of the at least one sensor element and acoustic balancers projecting from the rear surface at least partly behind the acoustic concentrators. Preferably, the acoustic concentrators and balancers have a base end having an “X” shape.

Claims

1. An acoustically enhanced collar for monitoring vital signs of a pet animal, comprising:

an annular band comprising a layer of an elastic material, the band having a working surface configured to wrap around a portion of a pet animal and a rear surface facing an opposite direction to the working surface;

at least one sensor element situated at one or more regions along a circumference of the band and configured to measure at least one bioparameter from the following bioparameters;

temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, movement;

at least two acoustic concentrators projecting toward a body portion of the pet animal from the working surface at the one or more regions along the circumference;

at least two acoustic balancers projecting from the rear surface at the one or more regions along the circumference, the at least two acoustic balancers situated at a region along the circumference at least partly behind the at least two acoustic concentrators,

each of the at least two acoustic concentrators wider at a concentrator base end adjacent the working surface than at a concentrator top end,

each of the at least two acoustic balancers wider at a balancer base end adjacent the rear surface than at a balancer top end.

2. The collar of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two acoustic concentrators are shaped like a bump that diminishes in diameter from the concentrator base end to the concentrator top end, and wherein each of the at least two acoustic balancers are shaped like a bump that diminishes in diameter from the balancer base end to the balancer top end.

3. The collar of claim 1, wherein the at least two acoustic concentrators and the at least two acoustic balancers are integrally formed with the band.

4. The collar of claim 1, wherein the at least two acoustic concentrators and the at least two acoustic balancers are substantially circular in at least one dimension.

5. The collar of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least two acoustic concentrators are substantially semispherical.

6. The collar of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least two acoustic balancers are substantially semispherical.

7. The collar of claim 1, wherein each concentrator base end of the at least two acoustic concentrators comprises perpendicular diameters.

8. The collar of claim 1, wherein a concentrator base end of at least one acoustic concentrator of the at least two acoustic concentrators has a cross-section shaped like a cross inside a closed curve.

9. The collar of claim 1, wherein each balancer base end of the at least two acoustic balancers comprises an X shape.

10. The collar of claim 1, wherein at least one acoustic balancer of the at least two acoustic balancers has a cross-section shaped like an X inside a closed curve.

11. The collar of claim 1, wherein the acoustic concentrators and acoustic balancers are solid.

12. The collar of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two acoustic concentrators and the at least two acoustic balancers comprise bumps that are integrally formed with the band and that are made of the same material as the band.

13. The collar of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor element comprises two physically separated sensors connected electrically, each of the two physically separated sensors is positioned on opposite sides of the animal.

14. The collar of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor element is configured to measure at least two bioparameters from the following bioparameters:

temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, movement.

15. The collar of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor element is configured to measure at least three bioparameters from the following bioparameters:

temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, movement.

16. The collar of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor element is configured to measure temperature, heart rate, respiration rate and movement.

17. The collar of claim 1, wherein a processor executes algorithms to interpret an interdependence of the vital sign data to arrive at a tentative diagnosis.

18. A method of monitoring vital signs of a pet animal, the method comprising:

providing an elastic band configured to wrap around a portion of the pet animal and having a working surface and a rear surface, at least one sensor element situated at one or more regions along a circumference of the band and configured to measure at least one bioparameter from the following bioparameters;

temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, movement;

configuring the elastic band with at least one acoustic concentrator projecting from the working surface toward the portion of the pet animal, the at least one acoustic concentrator situated at the one or more regions along the circumference and on a first side of the at least one sensor;

configuring the elastic band with at least one acoustic balancer projecting from the rear surface and situated at the one or more regions along the circumference and on a second side of the at least one sensor element, the at least one left acoustic balancer located in a position along the circumference at least partly behind the at least one acoustic concentrator;

and

transmitting electronic signals from the sensor elements to a processor, the signals reflecting vital sign measurements of the pet animal.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring at least one acoustic concentrator to be wider at a concentrator base end adjacent the working surface than at a concentrator top end, and configuring at least one acoustic balancer to be wider at a balancer base end adjacent the rear surface than at a balancer top end.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring at least one acoustic concentrator to be semi-spherical.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring a concentrator base end of at least one acoustic concentrator to comprise an X shape.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring a balancer base end of at least one acoustic balancer to comprise an X-shape.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring a cross-section of at least one acoustic concentrator to be shaped like an X.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring the processor that is in electronic communication with the sensor elements to be situated on the collar.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising transmitting the signals from the processor on the collar to a remote station.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring the processor to be a remote processor that is in electronic communication with the sensor elements.

27. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring the acoustic concentrators to perform a dual function of simultaneously (i) reducing a signal to noise ratio of the signal transmitted from the sensor elements to the processor and (ii) reducing total noise by reducing relative movement between the collar and the pet animal'"'"'s head when the pet animal'"'"'s head moves.

28. The method of claim 18, further comprising configuring the at least one acoustic concentrator to perform a dual function of simultaneously (i) improving an ability of the collar to convert low mechanical pulses to electrical signals of reasonable magnitude for transmission to the processor and (ii) reducing total noise by reducing relative movement between the collar and the pet animal'"'"'s head when the pet animal'"'"'s head moves.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising having the at least one acoustic concentrator operate in conjunction with the at least one acoustic balancer to improve the ability of the collar to convert the low mechanical pulses to the electrical signals of reasonable magnitude.

30. The method of claim 18, further comprising conforming a shape of a particular acoustic balancer of the at least one acoustic balancer to a shape of a particular acoustic concentrator of the least one left acoustic concentrator that the particular acoustic balancer is at least partly behind.

31. An acoustically enhanced collar for monitoring vital signs of a pet animal, comprising:

a band comprising a layer of an elastic material, the band having a working surface configured to wrap around a portion of a pet animal and an oppositely faced rear surface;

at least one sensor element situated at one or more regions along a circumference of the band and configured to measure at least one bioparameter from the following bioparameters;

temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, movement;

at least one acoustic concentrator projecting as a bump toward the portion from the working surface, the at least one acoustic concentrator situated at the one or more regions along the circumference and on a first side of the at least one sensor element; and

at least one acoustic balancer projecting as a bump from the rear surface and situated at the one or more regions along the circumference and on a second side of the at least one sensor element.

32. The collar of claim 31, wherein at least one acoustic balancer is at least partly behind at least one acoustic concentrator.

33. The collar of claim 31, wherein at least one acoustic balancer is directly behind at least one acoustic concentrator.

34. The collar of claim 31, wherein each of the at least one acoustic concentrator is wider at a concentrator base end adjacent the working surface than at a concentrator top end, and wherein each of the at least one acoustic balancer is wider at a balancer base end adjacent the rear surface than at a balancer top end.

35. The collar of claim 31, wherein one particular acoustic concentrator of the at least one acoustic concentrator and one particular acoustic balancer of the at least one acoustic balancer are substantially circular in at least one dimension.

36. The collar of claim 31, wherein a particular acoustic concentrator of the at least one acoustic concentrator is substantially semispherical.

37. The collar of claim 36, wherein an acoustic balancer of the least one acoustic balancer is substantially semispherical and located behind the particular acoustic concentrator of the at least one acoustic concentrator on the first side that is substantially semispherical.

38. The collar of claim 31, wherein a concentrator base end of a particular acoustic concentrator of the at least one acoustic concentrator comprises an X-shape.

39. The collar of claim 31, wherein a concentrator base end of at least one acoustic concentrator has a cross-section in a shape of an “

X”

inside a closed curve.

40. The collar of claim 31, wherein each balancer base end of the at least one acoustic balancer comprises an X shape.

41. The collar of claim 31, wherein an acoustic balancer of the at least one acoustic balancer has a cross-section shaped like an X inside a closed curve.