Apparatus and method to identify morbid animals

• US 9,949,461 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trax Right, LLC
• Original Assignee: Trax Right, LLC
• Inventors: Frazier, John P., Kuzma, Peter J., Bachman, Stephen E.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, QUANG
• Application Number:
  US14/731,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20150351369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/006 Automatic identification systems for animals, e.g. electronic devices, transponders for animals identification systems for access to feeding pens A01K1/0209; ear tags with electronic identification means A01K11/004
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: A61D 17/00 Devices for indicating trouble during labour of animals ; Methods or instruments for detecting pregnancy-related states of animals monitoring or measuring activity of animals A01K29/005

Abstract

A method to identify morbid animals housed in a feedyard having a feed bunk, where the method includes providing a plurality of animal beacons and at least one beacon reader, placing the beacon reader adjacent the feed bunk, transmitting by a first animal beacon a first signal comprising a first unique identifier for a first animal wearing the first animal beacon, wherein the first animal is housed in the feedyard, receiving by the beacon reader the first signal, and based upon the first signal, determining a proximity of the first animal to the feed bunk.

Claims

1. A method to identify morbid animals among a plurality of animals housed in a feedyard having a feed bunk based on proximity history of each animal among the plurality of animals to the feed bunk, comprising:

providing a plurality of animal beacons and at least one beacon reader;

placing said at least one beacon reader adjacent said feed bunk;

providing a plurality of flexible ear tags, each comprising a pocket that encloses a respective animal beacon and being associated with each animal;

repeatedly transmitting by each of the plurality of animal beacons a first signal comprising a unique identifier for a respective animal wearing said respective animal beacon, wherein said respective animal is housed in said feedyard;

setting, by said at least one beacon reader, a time block;

receiving during said time block, by said at least one beacon reader, a plurality of first signals from each of the plurality of animal beacons, wherein each of said plurality of received first signals from each of the plurality of animal beacons comprises a received signal strength indicator value (“

RSSI Value”

);

determining, by said at least one beacon reader, from said plurality of received first signals from each of the plurality of animal beacons during said time block, a received first signal comprising a strongest RSSI Value;

based upon said received first signal comprising the strongest RSSI Value, determining a proximity of a respective animal wearing a respective animal beacon to said feed bunk;

when said received first signal comprising the strongest RSSI Value is greater than −

68 dBm, determining that a respective animal wearing a respective animal beacon having the strongest RSSI value is a healthy animal; and

identifying, by said at least one beacon reader, at least one morbid animal among the plurality of animals housed in the feedyard wherein the at least one morbid animal has lower than normal visits to the feed bunk based on the proximity history of the at least one morbid animal to the feed bunk;

wherein a portion of said pocket is coated with a material that blocks or absorbs electronic transmissions; and

wherein;

said at least one beacon reader only receives signals from an animal beacon when an animal wearing an ear tag is facing said at least one beacon reader; and

said at least one beacon reader does not receive signals from an animal beacon when an animal wearing an ear tag is facing away from said at least one beacon reader.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of said animal beacons is configured to transmit said first signal on any of three different output frequencies.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one beacon reader comprises a first non-transitory computer readable medium, said method further comprising encoding in said first non-transitory computer readable medium said unique identifier in combination with said proximity history of each animal to said feed bunk.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a date and time when said at least one beacon reader receives said first signal from each of the plurality of animal beacons;

saving by said at least one beacon reader said date and time when said at least one beacon reader receives said first signal from each of the plurality of animal beacons.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transmitting by said at least one beacon reader to a remote data storage system said unique identifier, said date, and said time from each of the plurality of animal beacons;

encoding in a non-transitory computer readable medium by said remote data storage system said unique identifier, said date, and said time from each of the plurality of animal beacons.

6. A method to identify morbid animals among a plurality of animals housed in a feedyard having a feed bunk based on proximity history of each animal among the plurality of animals to the feed bunk, comprising:

providing a plurality of animal beacons and at least one beacon reader;

placing said at least one beacon reader adjacent said feed bunk on a reader pole comprising an adjustable height, wherein said adjustable height is set to between about 4 feet and about 6 feet;

providing a plurality of flexible ear tags, each comprising a pocket that encloses a respective animal beacon and being associated with each animal;

repeatedly transmitting by each of the plurality of animal beacons using an output power of about 0.01 watts during a pre-determined time block a first signal comprising a unique animal identifier for a respective animal wearing said respective animal beacon, wherein said respective animal is housed in said feedyard;

receiving during said pre-determined time block, by said at least one beacon reader, a plurality of first signals from each of the plurality of animal beacons, wherein each of said plurality of received first signals from each of the plurality of animal beacons comprises a received signal strength indicator value (“

RSSI Value”

);

determining, by said at least one beacon reader, from said plurality of received first signals from each of the plurality of animal beacons during said pre-determined time block, a received first signal comprising a strongest RSSI Value;

based upon said received first signal comprising the strongest RSSI Value, determining a proximity of a respective animal wearing a respective animal beacon to said feed bank;

when said received first signal comprising the strongest RSSI Value is greater than −

68 dBm, determining that a respective animal wearing a respective animal beacon having the strongest RSSI value is a healthy animal; and

identifying, by said at least one beacon reader, at least one morbid animal among the plurality of animals housed in the feedyard wherein the at least one morbid animal has lower than normal visits to the feed bunk based on the proximity history of the at least one morbid animal to the feed bunk;

wherein a portion of said pocket is coated with a material that blocks or absorbs electronic transmissions; and

wherein;

said at least one beacon reader only receives signals from an animal beacon when an animal wearing an ear tag is facing said at least one beacon reader; and

said at least one beacon reader does not receive signals from an animal beacon when an animal wearing an ear tag is facing away from said at least one beacon reader.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of said animal beacons is configured to transmit said first signal on any of three different output frequencies.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said at least one beacon reader comprises a first non-transitory computer readable medium, said method further comprising encoding in said first non-transitory computer readable medium said unique identifier in combination with said proximity history of each animal to said feed bunk.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a date and time when said at least one beacon reader receives said first signal from each of the plurality of animal beacons;

saving by said at least one beacon reader said date and time when said at least one beacon reader receives said first signal from each of the plurality of animal beacons.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting by said from each of the plurality of animal beacons beacon reader to a remote data storage system said unique identifier, said date, and said time;

encoding in a non-transitory computer readable medium by said remote data storage system said unique identifier, said date, and said time from each of the plurality of animal beacons.