Animal tag system

• US 10,682,062 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2018
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• 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:
  US16/196,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20190090754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 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 for managing animals such as but not limited to livestock. In some embodiments, a tag assembly is configured for attachment to an outer ear of an animal. The tag assembly has a main body and a shaft that extends through an aperture extending through the outer ear to attach the main body to a facing surface of the outer ear. A primary temperature sensor of the tag assembly is configured to obtain outer ear temperature data indicative of an outer ear temperature of the outer ear. A control circuit is configured to receive the outer ear temperature data via a wireless communication link with the tag assembly. The control circuit determines a health state of the animal in response to a localized change in a magnitude of the outer ear temperature data in relation to a set of ambient temperature data over a selected time interval.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a tag assembly configured for attachment to an outer ear of an animal, the tag assembly comprising a main body and a shaft that extends through an aperture extending through the outer ear to attach the main body to a facing surface of the outer ear, the 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; and

a control circuit configured to receive the outer ear temperature data via a wireless communication link with the tag assembly and to determine a health state of the animal responsive to a difference between a magnitude of the outer ear temperature data and a magnitude of a set of ambient temperature data obtained from an ambient temperature sensor proximate the animal over a selected time interval, the localized change in the magnitude of the outer temperature data not adjusted using the set of ambient temperature data or a set of core temperature data obtained from a core temperature sensor that measures an internal temperature of the animal.

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

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ambient temperature sensor comprises a separate sensor that communicates the ambient temperature data to the tag assembly using a second wireless communication link, and wherein the tag assembly further communicates the ambient temperature data to the control circuit using the wireless communication link.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a secondary sensor configured to obtain secondary sensor data associated with the animal, wherein the control circuit further operates to determine the health state of the animal responsive to the secondary sensor data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the health state of the animal is determined responsive to the magnitude of the outer ear temperature data dropping to a level nominally equal to a magnitude of the ambient temperature data, and wherein the health state is determined independently of any other temperature measurement associated with the animal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the health state of the animal is determined responsive to the magnitude of the outer ear temperature data exceeding a magnitude of the ambient temperature data by a selected temperature interval.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the primary temperature sensor is incorporated into the main body of the tag assembly and pressingly engages the facing surface of the outer ear.

8. 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, a core body temperature sensor, or a multi-axis accelerometer.

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 via the wireless communication link.

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 tag assembly further comprising a backing member configured to contactingly engage the pointed distal end of the shaft to connect the tag assembly to the outer ear.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit generates and transmits, to a user device, a notification of the health 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.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tag assembly further comprises an RFID (radio frequency identification) transponder to communicate with the control circuit.

13. A system for monitoring a health status of an animal, comprising:

a tag assembly configured for attachment to an outer ear of an animal, the tag assembly comprising a primary temperature sensor and at least one auxiliary sensor, the primary temperature sensor configured to obtain outer ear temperature data indicative of an outer ear temperature of the outer ear, the at least one auxiliary sensor configured to obtain parametric data associated with the animal;

a control circuit configured to receive the outer ear temperature data and the parametric data via a first wireless communication link with the tag assembly responsive to a detection, by the control circuit, of an RFID (radio frequency identification) transponder signal broadcast by the tag assembly, the control circuit configured to determine a health state of the animal responsive to a change in magnitude over time of the outer ear temperature data and to transmit the health state, via a second wireless communication link, to a user device, wherein neither the tag assembly or the control circuit calculates an adjusted temperature for the outer ear temperature prior to determining the health state of the animal.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising an external sensor in a selected stationary location configured to obtain second parametric data associated with the animal, the external sensor transmitting the second parametric data to the tag assembly which, in turn, transmits the second parametric data to the control circuit via the first wireless communication link.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the control circuit determines the health state of the animal responsive to a localized change in a magnitude of the outer ear temperature data in relation to a magnitude of a set of ambient temperature data obtained from an ambient temperature sensor proximate the animal over a selected time interval.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the health state of the animal is determined responsive to the magnitude of the outer ear temperature data dropping to a level nominally equal to a magnitude of the ambient temperature data.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the health state of the animal is determined responsive to the magnitude of the outer ear temperature data exceeding a magnitude of the ambient temperature data by a selected temperature interval.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the control circuit is further configured to transmit, via the first wireless network, an activation signal to energize a power source of the tag assembly to transition the tag assembly from a deactivated state to an activated state after installation of the tag assembly onto the animal.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the animal is a cow.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a tag assembly configured for attachment to an outer ear of an animal, the tag assembly comprising a main body and a shaft that extends through an aperture extending through the outer ear to attach the main body to a facing surface of the outer ear, the 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; and

a control circuit configured to receive the outer ear temperature data via a first wireless communication link with the tag assembly and to determine a health state of the animal responsive to a localized change in a magnitude of the outer ear temperature data in relation to a magnitude of a set of ambient temperature data obtained from an ambient temperature sensor proximate the animal over a selected time interval, wherein the ambient temperature sensor comprises a separate sensor that communicates the ambient temperature data to the tag assembly using a second wireless communication link, and wherein the tag assembly further communicates the ambient temperature data to the control circuit using the first wireless communication link.