Animal tag system

• US 10,130,265 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2017
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HerdDogg, Inc.
• Original Assignee: HerdDogg, Inc.
• Inventors: Brandao, Melissa, Proctor, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US15/850,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20180325382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• Field of Search: 3405733
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/004 with electronic identification means, e.g. transponders
• 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 15/023 Anti-evasion 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 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0233 Special features of optical sensors or probes classified in A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0257 Proximity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/029 Humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• 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 5/015 By temperature mapping of body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02028 Determining haemodynamic parameters not otherwise provided for, e.g. cardiac contractility or left ventricular ejection fraction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• 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 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6816 Ear lobe
• CPC Class Codes: A61D 17/002 : for detecting period of heat of animals, i.e. for detecting oestrus for humans A61B10/0012
• CPC Class Codes: A61D 17/006 : for detecting pregnancy of animals
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 : for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 : for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

Apparatus and method for managing animals such as but not limited to livestock. In some embodiments, an ear tag assembly has a main body, a backing member and a shaft that extends through an aperture through an outer ear of an animal to interconnect the main body and the backing member. A primary temperature sensor obtains an outer ear temperature of the outer ear. An ambient temperature sensor obtains an ambient temperature of a surrounding environment external to the animal. A control circuit receives the outer ear and ambient temperatures and determines a state of the animal responsive to a comparison of the outer ear temperature and the ambient temperature over a selected time interval.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an ear tag assembly configured for attachment to an outer ear of an animal, the ear tag assembly comprising a main body, a backing member and a shaft that extends through an aperture extending through the outer ear to interconnect the backing member to the main body, the ear tag assembly further comprising a primary temperature sensor configured to obtain outer ear temperature data indicative of an outer ear temperature of the outer ear;

an ambient temperature sensor proximate the ear tag assembly configured to obtain ambient temperature data indicative of an ambient temperature of a surrounding environment external to the animal; and

a control circuit configured to receive the outer ear temperature data via a wireless communication link with the ear tag assembly and to determine a successful insemination of the animal has taken place responsive to a detection, by the control circuit, of a localized increase in a magnitude of the outer ear temperature data in relation to a magnitude of the ambient temperature data over a selected time interval.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the primary temperature sensor is incorporated into the shaft of the ear tag assembly.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the primary temperature sensor is incorporated into the main body of the tag assembly.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the main body comprises an interior electronic assembly that is overmolded with a molded material, wherein the interior electronic assembly incorporates the primary temperature sensor, and wherein a portion of the molded material is overmolded onto the primary temperature sensor and is configured to pressingly engage a portion of an outer surface of the outer ear of the animal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the portion of the molded material that is overmolded onto the primary temperature sensor forms a radiused projection that projects from a facing surface of the main body for contact with the outer surface of the outer ear.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ambient temperature sensor is incorporated into the main body of the tag assembly, and wherein the ambient temperature data is wirelessly transmitted via the wireless communication link to the control circuit.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tag assembly further comprises an additional sensor that provides additional parametric data that is transmitted via the wireless communication link to the control circuit, wherein the additional sensor is a selected one of an activity monitor, a geoposition sensor, an optical sensor, a humidity sensor, a light sensor, a methane sensor, a proximity sensor, a heart rate monitor, a pulse rate monitor, an oxygen saturation monitor, a blood flow sensor or a multi-axis accelerometer.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the control circuit further determines the successful insemination of the animal has taken place by determining the localized increase in the magnitude of the outer ear temperature data occurs less than 12 hours after an insemination event that led to the successful insemination.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary sensor configured to be located proximate the animal at a separate location apart from the tag assembly, the auxiliary sensor configured to transmit auxiliary parametric data to the tag assembly, the tag assembly further configured to transmit the auxiliary parametric data to the control circuit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shaft has a proximal end that is permanently affixed to the backing member and a pointed distal end configured to pierce the outer ear of the animal and engage an aperture in the main body, the shaft and the backing member forming a connection member.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the connection member is a first connection member having a first overall length of the shaft, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a second connection member having a different second overall length of the shaft, wherein the first connection member is configured for installation of the main body onto a first type of livestock animal and the second connection member is configured for installation of the main body onto a different second type of livestock animal.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit generates and transmits, to a user device, a notification of a detected state of the animal responsive to a change in relative temperature differences between the outer ear temperature data and the ambient temperature data, the detected state comprising a selected one of heat stress, illness or successful insemination.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine an illness condition for the animal responsive to a detection, by the control circuit, of a localized decrease in a magnitude of the outer ear temperature data such that the magnitude of the outer ear temperature reaches a level nominally equal to a magnitude of the ambient temperature data over a second selected time interval.

13. A method for detecting a successful insemination of an animal, comprising:

affixing an ear tag assembly to an outer ear of the animal, the ear tag assembly comprising a main body, a backing member and a shaft that extends through an aperture extending through the outer ear to interconnect the backing member to the main body, the ear tag assembly further comprising a primary temperature sensor configured to obtain outer ear temperature data indicative of an outer ear temperature of the outer ear;

utilizing an ambient temperature sensor proximate the ear tag assembly to obtain ambient temperature data indicative of an ambient temperature of a surrounding environment external to the animal;

transferring the outer ear temperature data and the ambient temperature data to a control circuit, wherein at least the outer ear temperature data is transferred from the ear tag assembly via a wireless communication link; and

identifying the animal has been successfully inseminated after an insemination event responsive to detecting, by the control circuit, a localized increase in a magnitude of the outer ear temperature data in comparison to a magnitude of the ambient temperature data over a selected time interval without reliance on a core body temperature measurement of the animal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the identifying step comprises determining the localized increase in the magnitude of the outer ear temperature data occurs within 12 hours after the insemination event.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying the outer ear temperature data and the ambient temperature data over the selected time interval in a graphical form on a human readable display.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the primary temperature sensor is incorporated into the shaft of the ear tag assembly.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the primary temperature sensor is incorporated into the main body of the tag assembly.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the main body comprises an interior electronic assembly that is overmolded with a molded material, wherein the interior electronic assembly incorporates the primary temperature sensor, and wherein a portion of the molded material is overmolded onto the primary temperature sensor to form a radiused projection that projects from a facing surface of the main body and is configured to pressingly engage a portion of an outer surface of the outer ear of the animal.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the ambient temperature sensor is incorporated into the main body of the tag assembly, and wherein the ambient temperature data is wirelessly transmitted via the wireless communication link to the control circuit.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising a step, after the affixing step and prior to the utilizing step, of remotely activating the tag assembly by transmitting an activation signal to a sensor of the tag assembly by a user device to energize a power source of the tag assembly and transition the tag assembly from a deactivated state to an activated state.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising a step of placing an auxiliary sensor adjacent a non-ear related portion of the animal to measure an auxiliary parameter associated with the animal, transmitting auxiliary parameter data from the auxiliary sensor to the tag assembly, and using the tag assembly to transmit the auxiliary parameter data received from the auxiliary sensor to the control circuit.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising steps of using an auxiliary sensor of the tag assembly to collect auxiliary data associated with an activity level of the animal, transmitting the auxiliary data from the tag assembly to the control circuit, and using the control circuit to identify a suitable interval at which to perform the insemination event.